Gabriel Amavizca
 | |
| No. 14 – Hamilton Tiger-Cats | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Placekicker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 11, 1993 Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 191 lb (87 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: | UDLAP BUAP |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| CFL status: | Global |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Gabriel Amavizca Ortiz (born January 11, 1993) is a Mexican professional gridiron football placekicker for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at UDLAP, Universidad Madero and BUAP. Amavizca was also part of the Artilleros Puebla of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA), a professional spring football league in Mexico.
In June 2019, Amavizca became the first CFL global player ever to score points in a regular season match.[1]
Early years
Amavizca was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, but moved to Puebla when he was eight years old. He started playing gridiron football at the age of 11, after practicing other sports such as baseball, tennis and association football. In high school, he received a scholarship to play football at the ITESM Puebla.[2]
College career
Amavizca first enrolled the UDLAP's college football program, the Aztecas, one of the most prestigious in Mexico, where he played for the 2013 season. Later, he moved to the Universidad Madero Tigres Blancos (White Tigers), where he played only for the 2014 season. After retiring for one season due to personal motives, he came back and played his last two college years for the BUAP, where he also earned a major in Business Administration.[2][3]
Professional career
Amavizca played for the Artilleros Puebla of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional for the 2019 season.[4]
Amavizca was selected by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at the 2019 CFL-LFA Draft as the team's third pick (26th overall).[5] Amavizca attended the training camp with the Blue Bombers, but was released by the team on June 8, 2019 during the pre-season. Three days later, on June 11, he was signed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.[6]
On June 22, 2019, Amavizca became the first global player to score points in a CFL regular season game kicking two converts at his team's 64–14 win over the Toronto Argonauts.[1][7][8]
External links
References
- ^ a b "CFL.ca Game Notes: A look at Week 3". CFL.ca. CFL. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- ^ a b ""Los tiempos de Dios son perfectos": Gabriel Amavizca". El Sol de Puebla (in Spanish). 22 July 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ "Ex jugador de Lobos de futbol americano busca ser titular en la CFL de Canadá". BUAP.mx (in Spanish). 29 August 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ^ "Gabriel Amavizca Ortiz". LFA.mx (in Spanish). LFA. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- ^ "Bombers Select Three Players in Inaugural CFL/LFA Draft". bluebombers.com. Winnipeg Blue Bombers. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- ^ "Tiger-Cats sign global kicker Amavizca-Ortiz". ticats.ca. Hamilton Tiger-Cats. 11 June 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- ^ "2019-06-22 Game Tracker – Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Toronto Argonauts (2567)". CFL.ca. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- ^ Barnes, Dan (26 June 2019). "Interest in CFL's global players sparks imminent Mexican streaming deal". canada.com. Retrieved 3 September 2019.