Neil Lumsden
Neil James Lumsden[1] (born December 19, 1952) is a former Canadian Football League player who played mostly as a fullback and also as a running back for the Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Edmonton Eskimos from 1976 to 1985.
| No. 32 | |
| Born: | December 19, 1952 London, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | Retired |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | FB/RB |
| University | Ottawa Gee-Gees |
| CFL draft | 1976 / Round: Territorial Protection |
| Drafted by | Toronto Argonauts |
| Career history | |
| As administrator | |
| 1996–1999 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| As player | |
| 1976–1978 | Toronto Argonauts |
| 1978–1979 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| 1980–1985 | Edmonton Eskimos |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Awards | |
| Records |
|
| Career stats | |
Early life
He played high school football at Northern Secondary School and graduated from Crescent School in Toronto.
Football career
Some of his career highlights include the Vanier Cup with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in 1975, being the eastern conference nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie in 1976, losing out to John Sciarra of the BC Lions, and winning three Grey Cup Championships with Edmonton Eskimos from 1980 to 1982, and again being a Grey Cup winner in 1999 as General Manager of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In the 1981 Grey Cup game Lumsden with 8 receptions for 91 yards plus a carry for 2 yards was selected as the Outstanding Canadian being awarded with the Dick Suderman Trophy.
In ten seasons Lumsden played in 141 regular season games and carried the ball 767 times for 3755 yards and with 36 touchdowns. He also had 180 receptions for 1729 yards and 15 more touchdowns. Several times during his career he was called on to fill in as a placekicker and punter.
Post-CFL career
Lumsden worked briefly in cycling when he was appointed COO of the Hamilton, Ontario, UCI Road World Championships in 2003. This was only the fourth time the road cycling world championships had taken place outside Europe.
Lumsden now heads Drive Marketing,[2] a sports marketing firm and a division of OK&D Marketing Group[3] of Burlington, Ontario.
Lumsden acted as Honorary Chairman of the 2008 Desjardins Vanier Cup in Hamilton, Ontario.
In 2014, he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Personal life
His son is Jesse Lumsden was also a CFL football player who played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos, and Calgary Stampeders before retiring in 2011. He is now a member of the Canadian Olympic Bobsled Team.
In 2015, he and his daughter, Kristin Lumsden, a makeup artist/skincare specialist living and working in Toronto, competed in the third season of The Amazing Race Canada. In the first six legs, they placed 10th, 6th, 1st, 6th, 7th, and 6th. In the seventh leg, they placed last in 7th place and were eliminated from the show.
References
- http://ottawasporthalloffame.ca/inductees/neil-james-lumsden/
- http://drivemktg.com/main/
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-11-09. Retrieved 2006-12-12.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)