Sam Cvijanovich is a former
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...
in 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 ...
. Cvijanovich was a notable player for the
Cal Lutheran Kingsmen
California Lutheran University (CLU, Cal Lutheran, or Cal Lu) is a private university in Thousand Oaks, California. It was founded in 1959 and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, but is nonsectarian. It opened in 1960 ...
during the
1971 NAIA Division II Football National Championship
The 1971 NAIA Division II football season was the 16th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA and the second season of play of the NAIA's lower division for football. The season was played from August to November 1971 and culminated in ...
. He has been named “the hardest hitter I’ve ever coached” by head coach
Bob Shoup
Robert F. Shoup (born February 24, 1932) is a retired American football coach and former player. He was the head coach at California Lutheran University from 1962 to 1989, compiling a career coaching record of 185–87–6. Shoup led Cal Lutheran ...
. Nicknamed "Jawbone", Cvijanovich was six foot and 205 lbs. He was later named NAIA District III Player of the Year in both his junior and senior years at Cal Lutheran. He was later drafted to the Canadian Football League after his collegiate career and was selected as the
CFL Rookie of the Year in 1974 as a middle linebacker with the
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...
. He set a record for interceptions by a linebacker as a rookie and played three seasons for Toronto before being traded to
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...
. He ended his 1977 season and retired due to foot injuries.
Early life
Sam Cvijanovich is a graduate of
Santa Clara High School in
Oxnard, California
Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...
. While at Santa Clara he played football, basketball, and baseball under his father
Lou Cvijanovich
Lou Cvijanovich (September 7, 1926 – November 24, 2018) was an American basketball coach for Santa Clara High School in Oxnard, California from 1958 to 1999. His 829 wins are the most by a high school basketball coach in California history.
Bi ...
, who coached varsity teams in all three sports.
College career
Cvijanovich played college football at
California Lutheran College (1970–1972), where he was a second team all star in 1970. He was inducted into the Cal Lutheran Alumni Association Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.
Professional career
Cvijanovich played three years with the
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...
in the CFL (1974–1976), playing 43 games and wearing number 33. In 1974, he won the
CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award The Most Outstanding Rookie Award is annually awarded to the player judged to be the best player in his first year in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Frank M. Gibson Trophy winner from the East Division, and the ...
on the strength of his 7 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. He later played for the
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine ...
, and seven games for 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 ...
, in 1977.
Personal life
In 1980, Sam Cvijanovich purchased a biker bar in Oxnard with his brother
Steve Cvijanovich
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
and reopened it as a sports bar called Sam's Saloon.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cvijanovich, Sam
Cal Lutheran Kingsmen football players
Sportspeople from Mesa, Arizona
Toronto Argonauts players
Canadian football linebackers
Ottawa Rough Riders players
BC Lions players
1950 births
Living people
Canadian Football League Rookie of the Year Award winners
Players of American football from Arizona