Edward Eugene Gainey (born June 6, 1990) is a

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 ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for the

Edmonton Elks The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

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 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 ...

Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...

. He has also been a member of 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 1 ...

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

and

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 ...

of the CFL.

Early years

Gainey played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

Mount Tabor High School Mount Tabor High School is a high school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is part of the WS/FCS School System. School demographics During the 2010–2011 school year, there were 1,622 students enrolled at Mount Tabor. The racial ...

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

. He was a two-time all-region selection and Shrine Bowl participant. He intercepted six passes, forced three fumbles and was the team’s second-leading tackler his senior year as the Spartans advanced to the 4-A state championship game. Gainey led the state with 13 interceptions as a junior.

College career

Gainey played for the

Appalachian State Mountaineers The Appalachian State Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, United States. The Mountaineers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and wer ...

from 2008 to 2011. He finished his college career with 168 defensive tackles, five interceptions and 59 pass breakups. He was named second team All-

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly ...

in 2009 and 2010.

Professional career

Montreal Alouettes

Gainey signed with the

on May 3, 2012. He made his CFL debut on July 6, 2012 against 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 Fiel ...

. He signed a three-year contract with the Alouettes in January 2014. Gainey was released by the Alouettes on June 21, 2014.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Gainey was signed by the

on July 16, 2014.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Gainey signed with the

on February 10, 2016. On August 13, 2017, during a 41–8 home victory against 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 ...

, Gainey became the first CFL player since 1986 and ninth all-time to record four interceptions in a single game. Gainey finished the year with 10 interceptions, and was named both a CFL-West All-Star, and a CFL All-Star. Gainey's 2018 saw a dip in statistics due to fewer quarterbacks targeting him, but he still nabbed 3 interceptions as well as his first career sack, and was named to his second CFL All-Star team. Gainey set a career high for tackles in 2019, with 56 takedowns to go alongside two more interceptions. He signed a one-year contract extension with the Roughriders on January 25, 2021.

Edmonton Elks

Gainey signed with the

to open free agency on February 8, 2022. In his first season in Edmonton Gainey made an instant impact after contributing with 47 defensive tackles, one interception, and two forced fumbles in 18 games in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

. On January 19, 2023 Gainey and the Elks agree to a one-year contract extension.

References

External links

Edmonton Elks bioJust Sports StatsNFL Draft Scout
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gainey, Ed Living people 1990 births Players of American football from North Carolina American football defensive backs Canadian football defensive backs African-American players of American football African-American players of Canadian football Appalachian State Mountaineers football players Montreal Alouettes players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Saskatchewan Roughriders players 21st-century African-American sportspeople