Chris Van Zeyl (born September 4, 1983) is a professional

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict in ...

for the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fie ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a c ...

(CFL). He is a two-time

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

champion with the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the CFL East Division, East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based i ...

and was named a CFL All-Star three times and CFL East Division All-Star six times. He played

CIS Football U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport). Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic confe ...

for the

McMaster Marauders The McMaster Marauders are the athletic teams that represent McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Athletics at McMaster is currently managed by the university's student affairs, under their athletics & recreation department. The unive ...

as a

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

University career

Van Zeyl played for the

McMaster Marauders football The McMaster Marauders football team represents McMaster University based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The team plays U Sports football in the Ontario University Athletics conference. The Marauders have been playing organized football since 1901 ...

team from

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

as a

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the l ...

. He recorded 42 defensive tackles, 11 sacks, and one forced fumble over his tenure there. He was named a 2007 CIS First-Team All-Canadian and the Marauder Lineman of the Year.

Professional career

Montreal Alouettes

Van Zeyl was drafted in the third round with the 18th overall pick in the

2007 CFL Draft The 2007 CFL season, 2007 CFL Draft took place on Wednesday, May 2, 2007. 47 players were chosen from among 911 eligible players from CIS football, Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. Of the ...

by the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes ( French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Cana ...

and attended training camp with the Alouettes but returned to McMaster in August. He noted that the Alouettes intention was for him to remain as a defensive lineman as a professional player, which was his preferred position. He re-joined Montreal in October and remained on the

practice roster In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

for the remainder of the

2007 Montreal Alouettes season The 2007 Montreal Alouettes finished third place in the East Division in 2007. Jim Popp decided to remain as head coach rather than hire a replacement for Don Matthews, who unexpectedly resigned the previous season. The results were unexpected as ...

. Van Zeyl attended the 2008 Montreal Alouettes training camp and was again added to the practice roster but was released on September 3, 2008.

Toronto Argonauts

On September 5, 2008, Van Zeyl signed with the

as a free agent and was assigned to the Argos practice roster. He was converted to the offensive side of the ball as an offensive lineman and remained on the practice roster for the rest of the year.Van Zeyl Signs Three-Year Extension in Toronto
/ref> He re-signed with Toronto on December 3, 2008 for the

2009 Toronto Argonauts season The 2009 Toronto Argonauts season was the 52nd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 137th overall. The Argonauts attempted to win their 16th Grey Cup championship, but they failed to make the playoffs for the second strai ...

but was released at the end of training camp. He was re-signed to the

on June 27, 2009. He was signed to the active roster on August 27 and dressed in his first professional regular season game on August 28, 2009 in a loss to the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...

. He got his first playing opportunity on October 16, 2009, when starting right tackle,

Brian Ramsay Brian Ramsay (born February 24, 1980) is a former Canadian football offensive lineman and currently serving as the Canadian Football League Players' Association's Executive Director. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2006 CFL Draft by the T ...

, suffered an injury and Van Zeyl was pressed into action. He started his first professional game on October 23, 2009 against the

as well as the last two games of the season. In 2010, Van Zeyl entered the season as the team's starting right offensive tackle and played in 14 regular season games, missing four due to injury. He recorded his first career reception on a 10-yard pass from

Cleo Lemon Cleo Lemon Jr. (born August 16, 1979) is a wide receivers coach for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks and former American football quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League. He most recently played for the Toronto Ar ...

in the

Labour Day Classic The Labour Day Classic (french: Classique de la fête du travail, branded as OK Tire Labour Day Weekend for sponsorship reasons) is a week of the Canadian Football League (CFL) schedule played over the Labour Day weekend (which includes the firs ...

on September 6, 2010, but was injured on the play and had to sit out the next game. He started at right tackle in both playoff games for the Argonauts that year, which were his first post-season starts. He played and started in 15 regular season games in 2011 as the Argonauts missed the playoffs for the third time in four years. During the

2012 Toronto Argonauts season The 2012 Toronto Argonauts season was the 55th season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 140th season overall. The Argonauts finished in 2nd place in the East Division with a respectable 9–9 record, improving on their 6–1 ...

, Van Zeyl started 17 regular season games at right tackle and recorded his first special teams tackle in week 4 against the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fie ...

. He started in all three post-season games, including the

100th Grey Cup The 100th Grey Cup was a Canadian football game between the East Division champion Toronto Argonauts and the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League to decide the Grey Cup champions of the 2012 season. Th ...

where he earned his first

championship in the Argonauts' victory. In 2013, Van Zeyl started 17 regular season games and one playoff game, primarily at right guard, en route to being named a

CFL All-Star The Canadian Football League played an all-star game regularly during the 1950s and 1970s and twice in the 1980s. 1950s The first game in 1955 actually precedes the establishment of the Canadian Football Council and the CFL, and was known as the ...

for the first time in his career. On July 8, 2014, Van Zeyl signed an extension through the 2016 season with the Argonauts. He started in all 17 regular season games that he played in during the 2014 season and was named an East All-Star at offensive tackle. In 2015, he played in only 14 regular season games, starting 13, while also starting the East Semi-Final game. In 2016, he started all 18 regular season games for the first time in his career and was again named an East All-Star at offensive tackle. During the offseason, Van Zeyl signed another contract extension with the Argonauts on January 13, 2017, through to the

2019 CFL season The 2019 CFL season was the 66th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 62nd Canadian Football League season. The regular season began on June 13 and concluded with the playing of the 107th Grey Cup in Calgary on November ...

. He played and started in 16 regular season games for the team and was named a CFL All-Star for the second time in his career. He started at right tackle for both post-season games, including his second

championship in the Argonauts' 105th Grey Cup victory over the Stampeders. He started 17 games at right tackle in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

and was once again named an East Division All-Star. In a reportedly salary cap-related move, the Argonauts released Van Zeyl on the day before the start of training camp on May 18, 2019.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On the same day of his Toronto release, the

signed Van Zeyl to a two-year contract on May 18, 2019. He started 17 regular season games and two post-season games for the Tiger-Cats and was named a CFL All-Star for the third time in his career. He re-signed with the Tiger-Cats on January 12, 2021. On July 26, 2022, midway through the 2022 season, the Tiger-Cats placed Van Zeyl on the six-game injured list.

References

External links

Hamilton Tiger-Cats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Zeyl, Chris 1983 births Living people Canadian football offensive linemen McMaster Marauders football players Montreal Alouettes players People from the Regional Municipality of Niagara Players of Canadian football from Ontario Toronto Argonauts players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players