Cory James Greenwood (born June 5, 1985) 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 ( ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

for 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 ...

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 ci ...

(CFL). He is a Grey Cup champion having won the

106th Grey Cup The 106th Grey Cup (branded as the 106th Grey Cup presented by Shaw for sponsorship reasons) was the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship game for the 2018 season. It was played on November 25, 2018, between the Ottawa Redblacks and the ...

with the Stampeders. He played college football for the

Concordia Stingers The Concordia Stingers are the athletic teams that represent Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They compete with other schools in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, and more specifically in Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (R ...

from 2006 to 2009.

Early life

Greenwood was born and raised in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...

, where he attended

Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School Regiopolis - Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School (sometimes abbreviated to RND or "Regi") is a secondary school located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada offering grades 9 to 12. It is one of three schools in Kingston that offer the International ...

. He later attended Concordia University, where he played college football for the

from 2006 to 2009. In his senior year, he was the recipient of the

Presidents' Trophy The Presidents' Trophy (french: Trophée des présidents) is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team that finishes with the most points (i.e. best record) during the NHL regular season. If two teams are tied for the mo ...

for best defensive player in

Canadian Interuniversity Sport 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 conf ...

Professional career

CFL Draft

Coming into the 2010 CFL Draft, Greenwood was ranked as the third overall prospect in the

's Amateur Scouting Bureau rankings for players eligible in that year's draft. On the day prior to the draft, 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 East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

traded the number one overall draft pick to the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in ...

, along with the eighth overall pick, for punter Jamie Boreham and the second and fourth overall picks in the 2010 draft. To ensure that they would be able to select Greenwood, they then traded their newly acquired fourth overall pick to the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first seas ...

for the third overall pick. With the trade made official, the Toronto Argonauts selected Greenwood with the third overall pick in the draft.

Kansas City Chiefs

On May 18, 2010, it was announced that Greenwood had signed a contract with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

of the NFL. Following the Chiefs' 2010 training camp, Greenwood was listed on the team's active roster and depth chart as a third-string middle linebacker and third-string long snapper. In 2011, Greenwood finished the season with 13 tackles. On May 2, 2013, Greenwood was released by the Chiefs.

Detroit Lions

Greenwood signed with the Detroit Lions on May 6, 2013. On August 19, 2013, he was waived/injured by the Lions. On August 20, 2013, he cleared waivers and was placed on injured reserve. He was released on August 8, 2014.

Toronto Argonauts

On October 28, 2014, Greenwood signed with the

of the

(CFL). Greenwood only appeared in two games for the Argonauts during the 2014 campaign and only playing on special teams. He recorded two special teams tackles in both games. Greenwood saw an increased role for the double-blue in 2015, playing in eight games and contributing 33 defensive tackles, three special teams tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. Greenwood had a bit of a breakout season in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, despite missing a number of games due to a knee injury he suffered in August. He accumulated 70 tackles in only 12 games. After not being re-signed by the Argos following the season, Greenwood became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on February 14, 2017.

Edmonton Eskimos

On March 8, 2017, Greenwood signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL. He tore his

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...

on the first day of training camp and missed the entire

2017 CFL season The 2017 CFL season was the 64th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 60th season of the Canadian Football League. The regular season began on June 22 and concluded on November 4. The playoffs commenced on November 12 a ...

. He was then released on March 14, 2018.

Calgary Stampeders

On September 12, 2018, Greenwood was signed by the

. He was brought in to add Canadian depth and special teams play; in six games on the active roster, Greenwood made two defensive tackles and five special teams tackles. In the playoffs, which culminated in the Stampeders winning the

, Greenwood had three more special teams tackles. Prior to free agency, Greenwood signed a one-year extension. Greenwood's 2019 season saw him play in 12 games, making a then-league leading 79 tackles, as well as two sacks, an interception, and three forced fumbles. However, like in previous seasons, Greenwood was unable to stay healthy and ended up of the injured list following week 14. Greenwood was still recognized as the Calgary nominee for the Most Outstanding Canadian Award. He returned to play in the Stampeders' West-Semi Final loss to 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 ...

, where he recorded three defensive tackles. Greenwood became a free agent on February 11, 2020, and was not signed by any team. He planned on re-signing with the Stampeders, but the

2020 CFL season The 2020 CFL season would have been the 67th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it would have been the 63rd season of the Canadian Football League. It was originally scheduled to begin on June 11; on April 7, the start of the ...

was postponed and ultimately cancelled. Instead, he re-signed with the Stampeders on January 29, 2021, for the

2021 CFL season The 2021 CFL season was the 67th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 63rd season of the Canadian Football League. The regular season began on August 5, 2021, and ended November 20, 2021. Each team played 14 regular sea ...

References

External links

Calgary Stampeders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenwood, Cory 1985 births Living people American football linebackers Canadian football linebackers Concordia Stingers football players Detroit Lions players Kansas City Chiefs players Players of Canadian football from Ontario Sportspeople from Kingston, Ontario Toronto Argonauts players Edmonton Elks players Calgary Stampeders players Players of American football from Ontario