Leif Pettersen (December 23, 1950 – July 30, 2008) was a
receiver who played eight seasons 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 ...
for 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 ...
and 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 was born in
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
.
After playing college football at
Otterbein College
Otterbein University is a private university in Westerville, Ohio, United States. The university was founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and named for United Brethren founder, Philip William Otterbein. It has been as ...
in
Westerville, Ohio
Westerville is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, Franklin and Delaware County, Ohio, Delaware counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. A northeastern suburb of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus as well as the home of Otterbein University, the population was 39 ...
, Pettersen was drafted by 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 1974 and played in the CFL for eight seasons. In 1976, Pettersen's Roughriders lost one of the most memorable Grey Cups when Ottawa's Tony Gabriel caught a long touchdown pass in the last minute to give the (Ottawa) Rough Riders the win. However, even in a losing cause, that game was still a career highlight as Pettersen caught seven passes that day and received the game ball from then CFL Commissioner Jake Gaudaur. Three years later, as a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1979, he won the
Lew Hayman Trophy.
After retiring, he spent eighteen years as an analyst for the ''
CFL on CTV'' and ''
Friday Night Football''. Pettersen joined
TSN as a
game analyst in 1987, when the network began televising CFL games (and after CTV ceased CFL coverage).
Pettersen also worked at RBC Sports Professionals & Private Client Group as Director of Business Development, managing banking and investments for athletes, coaches and sports executives. He was the president of a chemical manufacturing firm in Etobicoke as well.
Pettersen was a founding Governor of the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame
and was appointed as a Governor of
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and mu ...
in 2006. In 1992, he was considered for the position of commissioner of the Canadian Football League, but his asking price was too high.
Pettersen died on the evening of July 30, 2008, at the age of 57 of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
in Toronto.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pettersen, Leif
1950 births
2008 deaths
Canadian colour commentators
Canadian Football League announcers
Canadian football slotbacks
Canadian television sportscasters
Hamilton Tiger-Cats players
Otterbein Cardinals football players
Players of Canadian football from Ontario
Saskatchewan Roughriders players
Sportspeople from Etobicoke
Canadian football people from Toronto