Brandon Marcel Whitaker (born September 7, 1985) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

who played for the

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 disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

and

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). He was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

by the Alouettes in 2008. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Baylor Bears The Baylor Bears are the athletic teams that represent Baylor University. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as one of only three private school members of the Big 12 Conference. Prior t ...

, where he majored in communications. Whitaker is a three-time

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

champion, winning back-to-back championships in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

and

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

with the Alouettes, as well as the

105th Grey Cup The 105th Grey Cup was played on November 26, 2017, between the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. In a re-match of the 100th Grey Cup, the Argonauts won the game 27–24, winning their 17th cham ...

with the Argonauts under the leadership of former Alouettes' coach Marc Trestman.The Argonauts did not extend Whitaker's contract with the team subsequent to the

2017 CFL season Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number) * One of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017, 2117 Science * Chlorine, a halogen in the periodic table * 17 Thetis, an asteroid in the asteroid belt Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American ...

Professional career

Montreal Alouettes

In his first two seasons in the league Whitaker was used a rotational back. In

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, he took over the starting role from Avon Cobourne, and he made an immediate impact. Whitaker led the CFL in rushing with 1,381 yards on 226 carries. He also added 638 receiving yards to surpass 2,000 yards from scrimmage and had six-100 yard rushing games. Whitaker tore his ACL in September of the 2012 season, resulting in missing almost half the regular season. Following the season Whitaker's contract expired and he attempted to sign with an NFL team, but eventually signed a new 3-year deal with the Alouettes in early June. Early in the 2013 CFL season Whitaker suffered another injury, this time a separated shoulder, which resulted in him missing 13 of the 18 regular season games. Whitaker played in the first 13 games of the 2014 season before landing on the 6-game injured list with a foot injury to wrap up the season. Prior to the injury he managed to cross 1,000 yards from scrimmage for the third time in his career; earning an East Division all-star award.

Toronto Argonauts

On June 21, 2015, Whitaker signed with division rivals the

. In his first season in Toronto Whitaker was the Argos lead running back, carrying the ball 121 times for 636 yards, while also contributing 53 receptions for 444 yards in the passing game. His efforts resulted in him being named an East Division all-star for the second consecutive season. In his second season with the Argos Whitaker was named an East Division all-star again after racking up 1,009 yards and three touchdowns on 189 carries, becoming the 41st player in CFL history to rush for 5,000 career yards in the process. Following the season he was no re-signed and became a free agent on February 14, 2017. Nevertheless, Whitaker and the Argos agreed to a new contract on March 30, 2017. Whittaker began the season as Toronto's starting running back, but was placed on the six-game injured list on July 4, 2017. Despite finishing the year on the injured list, and watching the rise of teammate James Wilder Jr., the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award winner, Whitaker would still be a part of the championship team of 2017, which was Whitaker's third Grey Cup. His contract with the Argonauts expired February 14, 2018 at noon. The contract was not extended nor was he offered a new contract after Free Agency begun. Under the salary cap system and the restructuring of James Wilder Jr.'s contract in March 2018, the Argonauts were likely unable to extend an offer to Whittaker.

Personal life

He is the son of Denise Hill and Aaron Whitaker. Whitaker appeared on the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

program Hello Goodbye while awaiting for his is mother to arrive at the Pearson airport.

References

External links

Toronto Argonauts bio

Montreal Alouettes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitaker, Brandon 1985 births Living people American football running backs Players of Canadian football from Oklahoma Baylor Bears football players Canadian football running backs Montreal Alouettes players Players of American football from Edmond, Oklahoma Toronto Argonauts players