Kevin Eiben (born September 28, 1979) is a former professional

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, 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 sco ...

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, p ...

who is currently the

linebackers coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, assistant coach, and the offensive and defensive coordinators. Common ...

for 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 ...

and 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 ...

. He was drafted 26th overall by the Argonauts in the 2001 CFL Draft and spent the first 11 years of his playing career with the team, followed by one season with 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 Fiel ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

Bucknell Bison The Bucknell Bison are the athletic teams that represent Bucknell University. The program is a member of the Patriot League for most NCAA Division I sports and Division I FCS in football. List of sports * Baseball * Men's basketball * Cros ...

Early years

Eiben grew up in

Delta, British Columbia Delta is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, as part of Greater Vancouver. Located on the Fraser Lowland south of Fraser River's south arm, it is bordered by the city of Richmond on the Lulu Island to the north, N ...

with parents Laraine and Larry Eiben, and three siblings. He now resides in Mississauga, Ontario. Eiben comes from a football family. His father played strong safety at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

and his uncle, George, played fullback at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

His brother, L.J., was a third round draft choice of the Argonauts in the

1996 CFL Draft The 1996 CFL season, 1996 CFL Draft took place on May 31, 1996. 61 Canadian football players were chosen from eligible List of universities in Canada, Canadian universities as well as Canadian players playing in the National Collegiate Athletic Asso ...

played for 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 season ...

. Eiben attended

Vancouver College Vancouver College (abbreviated informally to VC) is an independent university-preparatory Catholic school for boys located in the Shaughnessy neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1922, it is the only independent Catho ...

high school, lettered in football, basketball, and baseball. He was named all-league football player three times, voted Provincial Offensive

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

at quarterback in football his final year, and also made 102 tackles at the

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

position. In addition, he was named to the all-league in basketball his senior year. Eiben went on to

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. ...

, where he majored in business management. He was a Dean’s List student and member of the

Patriot League The Patriot League is a collegiate athletic conference comprising private institutions of higher education and two United States service academies based in the Northeastern United States. Outside the Ivy League, it is among the most selective gr ...

Academic Honour Roll. In his 4 years playing for the

football team, Eiben started 33 of 43 games playing at either strong or free safety position. He holds a number of school records, including sharing the single-game interception record of 4. In 1999, he received the Clarke Hinkle Award as the Bison's outstanding linebacker or defensive back. He led the Patriot League in 2000 with eight

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

s and, in 2001, was named an American Football Coaches Association All-American, a second team AP Division I-AA All-American, was a first team All-Patriot League selection, a first team ECAC All-Star, the Patriot League’s Scholar-Athlete, and the Bison's MVP. Eiben was inducted into the Bison Hall of Fame in 2012. After his first year with the Argos, he went to Florida State in the off-season to do his Masters in Sports Management.

Professional career

Eiben was selected by the

as the 26th pick in the 2001 CFL Draft and spent time on both the practice and active rosters in the 2001 CFL season. In the 2002 CFL season, he led the Argos with 19

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

tackles and 4 fumble recoveries. On February 13, 2003, Eiben 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 ...

and re-signed with the Argos on February 20. He played in all 18 games and two playoff games of the

2003 CFL season The 2003 CFL season is considered to be the 50th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 46th Canadian Football League season. The pre-season began on May 30, 2003 and the regular season started on June 17, 2003. Ta ...

, primarily on special teams and as a backup linebacker and led the league with 33 special teams tackles. He also achieved his first career

quarterback sack In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in th ...

and his first career

. Eiben was a part of the Grey Cup Championship team in 2004 with the Argos and over his career was a CFL All-Star 3 times and East All-Star 5 times. He currently has the second most tackles (814) in CFL history for a Canadian player behind Mike O'Shea (1320). He extended his contract with the Argos on February 14, 2009. Eiben was a player representative as a part of the Reebok 'Rediscover' campaign in 2010. He became a

on February 15, 2012 and then signed with

on February 18, 2012. After one season with the Ticats, Eiben announced his retirement via Twitter on March 4, 2013. Eiben retired having played 11 season with the Argonauts and one season with the Tiger-Cats. Throughout his career Eiben amassed 722 Defensive tackles, 92 Special Team tackles, 15 sacks, 10 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries.

Business

Kevin Eiben was a franchise owner of Sport Specific Training (SST) with a location in Oakville, Ontario from 2009 to 2014 before selling to his business partner who still runs the location. After retiring from the CFL, Eiben took a position with the Front Office of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as Manager, Business Development and Corporate Partnerships for the new Tim Hortons Field, home to the PanAm games in 2015 and Hamilton Tiger-Cats starting July 2014 season.

Coaching

Eiben was the defensive coordinator with the McMaster Marauders for the 2013 season and was the defensive coordinator with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues from 2014 to 2016. In 2017, he became the special teams coordinator of the Toronto Argonauts.

Personal

Kevin is currently living in Mississauga with his wife Alison and their 3 children, Carter, Brielle and Lucas. They also have a dog, Rex the puggle.

References

External links

Toronto Argonauts coaches profile page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eiben, Kevin 1979 births Living people Bucknell Bison football players Canadian expatriate American football people in the United States Canadian football linebackers Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Sportspeople from Delta, British Columbia Players of Canadian football from British Columbia Toronto Argonauts players McMaster Marauders football coaches Toronto Varsity Blues football coaches Toronto Argonauts coaches