Geroy Simon
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Geroy Simon (born September 11, 1975) is an American
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 ...
executive and former player who is the executive director of revenue share management and general manager of the
Maryland Terrapins football The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland, College Park in the sport of American football. The Terrapins compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Big Ten Conference. The Terrapins jo ...
team. He played in 15 seasons at
slotback Slotback (SB), also called slot receiver, is an offensive position in gridiron football responsible for covering a ''slot,'' the playing area between the⁣⁣ offensive tackle and the wide receiver. A player who lines up between those two pl ...
in 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 ...
, twelve of them with the
BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...
. He won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award in
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
while also winning three
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 ...
championships; with the
BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...
in
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
and
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 ...
and with Saskatchewan in
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
. As of 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, Saskatch ...
, Simon is the all-time career leader in CFL receiving yards with 16,352 yards, second in pass receptions with 1,029 and third in touchdown receptions with 103. He was inducted into the
Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, ...
in 2017. Following his playing career, Simon was an executive in the Canadian Football League and was the interim general manager of 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 (CFL), West Division and plays their home games at Commonw ...
in 2024.


College career

Simon finished second on the University of Maryland's all-time charts for receptions (185) and receiving yards (2,059), and caught 10 career touchdown passes. As a senior, he caught 35 passes for 534 yards and 3 touchdowns. He had his best season as a sophomore, setting an ACC record with 77 catches for 891 yards and 5 touchdowns. That season, he also returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown.


Professional career


Pittsburgh Steelers

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...
: Spent part of the 1997 season on the NFL's
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
practice squad.


Winnipeg Blue Bombers

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
: Saw some time at slotback and wide receiver for 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 (CFL), West division. They play thei ...
, playing in 10 games in 1999 and all 18 regular season games in 2000. Simon caught 51 passes for 725 yards and 7 TDs in 2000, all career numbers at the time.


BC Lions

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
: Joined the BC Lions as a free agent and served as a backup at the slotback position, seeing time in 6 games.
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
: Led the Lions with 50 receptions in his first full season in the starting lineup, finishing with 754 yards. He also threw for a 71-yard touchdown toss in his only attempt of the season. He established career highs in kick returns with 51 punt returns for 464 yards, 19 kickoff returns for 385 yards and six missed field goal returns for 128 yards.
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
: Recorded his first 1,000-yard receiving season with 1687 yards and was named both a Western and a CFL All-Star for the first time in his career. Named Offensive Player of the Week for Week #16. He also scored his first two-point conversion on a five-yard reception. For the second consecutive season, he threw a touchdown pass, this time for 52 yards. He also had a career-high seven carries for 135 yards and one rushing touchdown.
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
: Became the third Lions player to record 100 receptions in a season with 103 catches. He broke Darren Flutie's BC Lions team record for single season receiving with 1,750 yards. Caught 3 passes for 31 yards in the 2004 Grey Cup. Received his second straight Western and CFL All-Star berth and was named Offensive Player of the Week in Week #9.
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
: Led the Lions in receiving (both yards and receptions) for the third straight season. Ranked 4th in the CFL in receiving yards with 1,322 and 5th in receptions with 89. Set an all-time Lions playoff record with a 90-yard reception for a touchdown against Edmonton in the 2005 West Final.
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
: Simon led the CFL in receiving yards and receptions, with 1,856 yards on 105 receptions and 15 touchdowns, all of which are career highs. Consequently, he broke his own team receiving yards record that he set in 2004. He also tied the CFL record for most 100-yard receiving games in a season with 11. Evidenced by his dominant play, Simon was named the CFL Offensive Player of the Month for both September and October. For his efforts on the season, Simon was named the Most Outstanding Player of the CFL for the 2006 season. He capped off the season by contributing four catches for 41 yards in the BC Lions' 2006 Grey Cup win.
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
: Simon had a difficult start to the season, accumulating only 449 yards and one touchdown through ten games. However, it turned out that he had saved his best for last and caught 38 passes for 859 yards and six touchdowns in the final eight games, incidentally, all wins for the Lions. He set a personal best 18.2-yard average per catch and claimed his second straight receiving title with a 211-yard performance in the final game of the season.
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
: On 25 July 2008, in a home game against 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 ...
, Simon surpassed Jim "Dirty 30" Young for the number one spot as the Lions all-time receiving yards receiver. He finished the season with 10,262 career receiving yards. He also became the Lions all-time receiving touchdown leader surpassing Young's 65 with his 66th touchdown on 27 September 2008 versus the
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 (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...
. He finished the season with eight 100-yard receiving games and finished second in receiving despite missing two games with injury.
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 ...
: With the release of Jason Clermont before the 2009 CFL season, Simon and Paris Jackson were the only remaining 1,000-yard receivers on the 2009 BC Lions team and Simon routinely faced double and triple coverage by opponents reducing his receptions. Nonetheless, Simon had 79 receptions for 1,239 yards, securing his seventh straight 1,000-yard receiving yards season. This was also his seventh consecutive season in which he led the Lions in receiving yards.
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 ...
: Simon recorded his eighth straight 1,000-yard receiving yard season in 2010, amassing 1,190 yards on 78 catches with six touchdowns.
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 ...
: On 10 September, Simon passed
Willie Fleming Willie Fleming (born February 2, 1939) is an American former professional football player with the Canadian Football League (CFL)'s BC Lions. Fleming played collegiately as a halfback at the University of Iowa, where he was a member of the H ...
as the Lions' all-time touchdown leader after he scored his 88th touchdown as a Lion in the last game to be played at Empire Field. He came into the season needing 1417 receiving yards to pass Milt Stegall as the CFL's all-time leader in receiving yardage. While finishing just short, he nonetheless had an all-star season, recording 84 catches for 1350 yards and eight touchdowns. Simon played in the 99th Grey Cup, catching four passes for 79 yards en route to a 34-23 Lions' victory and the second Grey Cup championship of his career.
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
: On 29 June, while playing 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 (CFL), West division. They play thei ...
and with the former record holder Milt Stegall in attendance, Simon became the all-time CFL career reception yards leader.


Saskatchewan Roughriders

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
: On 24 January, Simon was traded to 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 19 ...
in exchange for receiver Justin Harper and Saskatchewan's third round pick in the 2014 CFL Draft. On the same day, 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 19 ...
signed Simon to a contract for one year plus an option worth $170,000 per year plus bonuses. Geroy Simon missed the first 3 weeks of 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, Saskatch ...
with a lower body injury. On 17 August 2013 (Week 8) Simon became the 3rd player in CFL history to have 1,000 career receptions: The other players are Ben Cahoon and Terry Vaughn In Week 9 (1 week later) Simon became the first CFL player to have 16,000 receiving yards. In Week 14, against 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 ...
, Simon became the CFL's all time receptions leader. He surpassed Ben Cahoon's record of 1,017 career receptions. Simon would finish the season on a winning note catching two touchdown passes in the biggest game of the year en route to the Roughriders winning their fourth Grey Cup championship. On May 31, 2014, Simon announced his retirement from professional football.


Statistics


Personal life

Before ultimately choosing football as a career, Simon enjoyed great success as a basketball player at a young age. He also took up baseball and track, but became attracted to football after watching
Walter Payton Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1953Although most sources at the time of his death gave Payton's birth year as 1954, reliable sources subsequently state he was born in 1953. – November 1, 1999) was an American professional American football, ...
. Envisioning a career in professional football, he accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Maryland. During his spare time, Simon has said that he listens to
B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...
, watches SportsCentre, and plays pool. Simon also coaches his son's minor football team. Simon currently lives in Edmonton for the football season and spends the offseason in Arizona with his fiancée Taryn Dakha. Simon was together with his wife, Tracy Simon, for 17 years before she died. His eldest son Gervon, who was born when Geroy was a freshman at Maryland, was formerly the starting quarterback at Greater Johnstown High School - Geroy's alma mater - who finished as the all-time passing yards leader.


Executive career

After Simon ended his playing career in 2013, he remained with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a front office role. Simon returned to the BC Lions in 2015 and served as the team's Director for Global Scouting and a US Regional Scout. On December 28, 2021, he was named the assistant general manager of 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 (CFL), West Division and plays their home games at Commonw ...
. On July 15, 2024, following the dismissal of
general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
, Chris Jones, Simon was named the team's interim general manager. On November 9, 2024, it was announced that Ed Hervey had been named general manager for the Elks and Simon was not retained. In 2025, Simon was named executive director of revenue share management and general manager of the Maryland Terrapins football team.


Awards and legacy

In 2012, in honour of the 100th Grey Cup,
Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...
used his image on a series of commemorative postage stamps. The image was also used on presentation posters and other materials to promote the Grey Cup game and other celebrations associated with the centennial.


References


External links


Saskatchewan Roughriders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Geroy 1975 births Living people American emigrants to Canada American football wide receivers BC Lions players Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Player Award winners Canadian football slotbacks Maryland Terrapins football players Sportspeople from Langley, British Columbia (city) Players of American football from Johnstown, Pennsylvania Saskatchewan Roughriders players Players of Canadian football from Pennsylvania Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen College football general managers