Swift Burch (May 8, 1969 – May 21, 2025) was an American football

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

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 ...

(CFL). He played for the

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 ...

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded on September 19, 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup cham ...

and

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 ...

. Burch 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 Temple University Owls. He was a captain of the 1991 team and led the team with 11 tackles for a loss. Burch was a second-team All-Big East selection that season. In 1994, he was the Argonauts nominee for CFL Outstanding Rookie. He recorded four sacks in a single game against 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 ...

on August 3, 1995. In 2000, he was an All-East Division honoree while with the Alouettes. He led Montreal in sacks in both 2000 and 2001 with nine each season. Through the 2024 season, Burch's 37 sacks rank fifth on the all-time list for Montreal. Burch died on May 21, 2025, at the age of 56, after battling rectal cancer for nine years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burch, Swift 1969 births 2025 deaths American football defensive tackles Players of American football from Washington, D.C. Canadian football defensive linemen Temple Owls football players Toronto Argonauts players Ottawa Rough Riders players Montreal Alouettes players Players of Canadian football from Washington, D.C.