Guelph’s Bradley Crawford joins brother with Toronto Argonauts
by Josh Doyle
“I had always thought if I worked hard enough, I could at least get a chance. But it wasn’t until after I attended the CFL Combine and performed pretty well in March of 2009 that I knew that I actually had a legitimate shot.”
The quote comes from the University of Guelph’s very own Bradley Crawford, and for this former Gryphon, playing in the CFL is more than just a dream – it’s a reality.
It became official last week; Bradley Crawford will be playing with the Toronto Argonauts.
Crawford’s skills were impossible to ignore, even from an early age. In his final year as a high school football player, he was named MVP both offensively and defensively.
“[I was] recruited heavily by Guelph, and it felt great to come to a team that was on the rise [where I could] contribute as a rookie,” he said.
And contribute is exactly what he did.
If coming to an established university team and playing as a rookie was a frightening prospect, Crawford didn’t seem to be affected.
“During my rookie year in 2005, I rushed for 270 yards on 49 carries,” he said modestly, holding true to the respectable image his friends know him to have. The stats, however, speak for themselves, and are far from modest.
Having now been recruited at both the post-secondary and professional levels, Crawford has become aware of the similarities and differences in the scouting programs.
“The [recruitments] were similar in that it is an honour when a football team at any level actively recruits or drafts you because they believe you can contribute to their team,” he said. “It’s very rewarding, but of course, nothing compares to being drafted by a professional team.”
With so much competition in the football world these days, getting drafted by a professional team is, as it has always been, a very serious business. With only 48 players from Canadian universities being drafted in 2009, it’s stiff competition, and in order to be drafted, you have to stand out. Crawford explained why he thought he was such a valuable asset to professional football, and why he has been given the chance to play in Toronto.
“Playing so many different positions made me a versatile football player,” he said. “It was the versatility that made me attractive to a CFL club and was probably the biggest reason why I was drafted by the Argos in 2009, 43rd overall.”
A lot of players like to think they’re versatile, but when Crawford made this claim, he backed it up.
“As a Gryphon, I played five different positions during my five seasons at Guelph: running back, defensive halfback, cornerback, free safety, and linebacker,” said Crawford, listing off his various assignments. “In high school, I played running back and linebacker.”
When moving forward, it’s always helpful to look back, and to reflect on what we’ve done so we may never forget where we came from. As a newly minted professional athlete, Crawford shows no sign of forgetting his roots, and he was happy to recall a few high points from his university football days.
“My most notable memory was when we hosted the 100th Yates Cup in 2007,” he recalled. “Unfortunately, we lost to Western but coming out of the tunnel and hearing the roar of 10,000 fans crammed into Alumni Stadium will always stand out in my mind. It was awesome to have such great support from the school and the town.”
Crawford gave special thanks to his brother Bryan, who currently plays for the Argos, as a great inspiration to his game, and someone he is very excited to finally play alongside. Although Crawford has been drafted to play professional football, he plans to continue his education, pursuing a degree in history. When asked about his thoughts on training camp in June, he had two words to describe his emotions: “Very excited.”