Dimitri Tsoumpas OOM-pus(born September 26, 1985) is a former

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

guard who last played for the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third ...

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 ...

. He was drafted by the Stampeders second overall in the

2008 CFL Draft The 2008 CFL Draft took place on Wednesday, April 30, 2008, live at 12:00 PM ET on TSN.ca. A total of 48 players were chosen from among 752 eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in th ...

. He played college football for

Weber State Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History Weber State University was founded ...

College career

After playing for three straight city championship teams at

Strathcona Composite High School Strathcona High School, colloquially referred to as Scona and SCHS, is a public high school located in Edmonton, Alberta. The school was referred to as Strathcona Composite High School until 2014. A $6.1 million modernization project was complet ...

he signed on to play at

Weber State University Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History Weber State University was found ...

. As a true freshman, Tsoumpas was a part of the starting lineup until he was injured. As a junior in 2006 he was named Honorable Mention All- Big Sky. During his senior season, Tsoumpas helped

allow the fewest sacks in the conference, he also helped Trevyn Smith lead the Big Sky in rushing yards for the second year in a row. He was named Second-team All-Big Sky.

Professional career

Calgary Stampeders

At the 2008

CFL Draft The CFL Draft (also known as the CFL Canadian Draft, CFL College Draft or the Canadian College Draft) is an annual sports draft in which the teams of the Canadian Football League (CFL) select eligible Canadian/non-import players, typically from t ...

Evaluation Camp, Tsoumpas benched 30 times to be one the leaders in that category at the camp. He was considered a possible top pick in the draft, however it was heavily rumored he could try to make an

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the maj ...

team. A few days before the draft, the

Edmonton Eskimos 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 Comm ...

were reportedly considering Tsoumpas,

Keith Shologan Keith Shologan (born November 26, 1985) is a Canadian football defensive tackle for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at UCF. Shologan has also been a member of the San Diego Chargers, Sask ...

and

Samuel Giguere Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bi ...

. However Shologan and Giguere signed contracts with NFL teams. After a draft day trade with the

, the

acquired the second overall pick in the

and used it to draft Tsoumpas. He was named the starting right guard, while fellow rookie

Jesse Newman Jesse Newman (born September 23, 1982) is a former Canadian football guard for the Calgary Stampeders and BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted in the first round with the 3rd overall pick in the 2008 CFL Draft by the ...

was the starting left guard. He debuted for Calgary, in week one 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 ...

. Tsoumpas started all 18 games including all playoff games which included the

96th Grey Cup The 96th Grey Cup was held in Montreal, Quebec at Olympic Stadium on November 23, 2008. The East Division champion Montreal Alouettes hosted the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders. The Stampeders won the game 22–14, with quarterback Henr ...

. He helped Calgary's

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 handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

s average 134.6 yards per game with 6.4 yards per carry. He was also key in helping the Stampeders allow the fewest sacks in the CFL. Joffrey Reynolds the CFL's leading rusher gained 1,310 yards with the help of Tsoumpas. Following the season he was Calgary's nominee for the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie award. Tsoumpas was expected to remain a starter in 2009. After sustaining a concussion during the

2013 CFL season The 2013 CFL season was the 60th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 56th season of the Canadian Football League. The pre-season began on June 12, 2013 and the regular season began on June 27, 2013. Regina, Saskatchewa ...

, Tsoumpas announced his retirement on January 29, 2014.

Miami Dolphins

Tsoumpas agreed to terms with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pl ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

on January 8, 2010. Tsoumpas was waived on July 30 and returned to the

References

External links

Calgary Stampeders bioWeber State Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsoumpas, Dimitri 1985 births Living people American football offensive guards Calgary Stampeders players Canadian football offensive linemen Players of American football from Alberta Miami Dolphins players Players of Canadian football from Alberta Canadian football people from Edmonton Weber State Wildcats football players