Leo Ezerins Explained

Birth Date:10 August 1956
Birth Place:Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Number:72
Position1:Linebacker/Tight end
College:Whitworth University
Playing Team1:Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Playing Years1:19781982
Playing Team2:Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Playing Years2:19831987
Career Highlights:
Statlabel1:Games played
Statvalue1:173[1]
Statlabel2:Sacks
Statvalue2:13
Statlabel3:Interceptions
Statvalue3:25

5th All Time Linebackers 1st All Time Canadian

Statlabel4:Receptions
Statvalue4:23
Statlabel5:

Leo Ezerins (born August 10, 1956) was a linebacker who played ten seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Background

Ezerins is a graduate of Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington graduating with a BA in Economics and Business. He was a conference all-star four times and an NAIA All American. His head coach was CFL legend, Hugh Campbell.

A gifted athlete he was also a three-time Canadian Champion Speed Skating Champion, Provincial High School basketball All-Star twice and played on the Isaac Brock Provincial Little League Championship team and the Winnipeg Hawkeyes Juvenile Little Grey Cup Championship team.

Professional career

Ezerins is currently the all-time interception leader for Canadian linebackers and fifth overall for all CFL linebackers with 25 interceptions. He also has 23 receptions as a tight end. He was an integral member of the Tiger-Cats 1986 Grey Cup winning team. He recovered the first fumble of the game caused by Grover Covington which set the pace for an incredible defensive onslaught of the heavily favored Edmonton Eskimos. That year, he was named a CFL Eastern All-Star.[2]

Awards

Life After Retirement

Ezerins is the poster boy for a University Health Network study on the effect of head hits on CFL players to be studied for long term concussion effects.[6] Ezerins helps promote concussion awareness for all sports.[7]

Personal

A Winnipeg native, Ezerins now calls Hamilton Home with his life partner Sandra Shields. He has two adult children, Katie and Dillon. Recently he was named to the Globe and Mail's Power 50, a Member of the 100th Grey Cup Steering Committee, Honorary Member of the PPCLI Foundation, Member of the Canadian Sports Concussion Research Project (Chaired by Dr. Charles Tator), a nominee to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats All Time Team and Manitoba Football Hall of Fame inductee.[8]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Leo Ezerins.
  2. Web site: Leo Ezerins athletic career, photos, articles, and videos | Fanbase . 2014-05-30 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140820125517/http://www.fanbase.com/Leo-Ezerins . 2014-08-20 .
  3. News: NHLPA's Donald Fehr comes in second on the Power 50. The Globe and Mail. 8 February 2011. Christie. James.
  4. Web site: Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Foundation-958276 Downloa… . 2014-05-30 . dead . https://archive.today/20140530180825/http://www.ebookeqs.org/view_958276.php . 2014-05-30 .
  5. http://www.ticats.ca/uploads/assets/HAM/MediaGuide2010/Ticats_MediaGuide_2010.pdf Media Guide 2010
  6. News: Former CFL players to be studied for long term concussion effects. The Hamilton Spectator. 5 May 2012.
  7. Web site: Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
  8. Web site: Leo Ezerins. 22 March 2020.