MONTREAL – Randy Chevrier, a McGill University graduate who retired from professional football four years ago to become a fireman, is making an unexpected comeback. The 45-year-old native of St. Leonard, Que., was signed late Thursday evening by the Calgary Stampeders to return as their back-up long-snapper.

The 6-foot-2, 270-pound defensive lineman and long-snapper won Grey Cup rings with the Stampeders in 2008 and 2013, along with his first Cup victory at Edmonton in 2003.

"This was a case of preparation meeting an opportunity," wrote Chevrier on his Facebook account. "I'm in great shape, I work a physical job and I don't quit. I train hard, always thinking of this day in my head. Snapping (a football) is second nature to me.

"As crazy as this situation is, two years ago, if you told me that the world would shut down, we'd all be facing a global pandemic, and hoarding toilet paper would be a thing, I'd have called you crazy."

Chevrier, who starred on the gridiron for McGill and graduated with a physical education degree in 2001, hung up his cleats after the 2016 season, in the wake of 16 years in pro football. He had NFL stints in Jacksonville, Dallas and Cincinnati, in addition to a tryout with the New York Giants. He followed that by playing 204 career regular season CFL contests, with stops in Edmonton (23 games), Calgary (178) and Saskatchewan (3). Chevrier saw action as a defensive lineman early in his CFL career before settling into a full-time long-snapper role in 2008. He also saw occasional duty in the Stamps' short-yardage packages and had two career touchdown catches.

"I hope my story can be a little glimmer of hope and bring some joy to some people," Chevrier wrote. "God knows many people are hurting these days. I'm telling you, it's OK to dream, it's OK to act, it's OK to believe. I never stopped believing in me and I will never stop believing in any of you."

Brought in as an insurance policy in case Stamps starter Aaron Crawford gets injured, Chevrier will go through quarantine before joining the practice roster next week.

Born in Montreal on June 6, 1976, he began playing organized football as an 18-year old at Vanier College in Montreal and went on to star for five seasons with McGill, from 1996 to 2000 and collected 23 major awards during his collegiate career. He was the first player in school history to receive the J.P. Metras trophy as the most outstanding lineman in Canadian university football in 2000 and was one of two Canadian university players selected to participate in the East-West Shrine game, a showcase designed for graduating NCAA seniors. He played 40 regular season games with McGill and recorded 157 tackles, including 10 quarterback sacks.

In 2001, Chevrier selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round (241st overall) of the NFL Draft. The following month, he was also picked fifth overall by Edmonton in the CFL Draft. Chevrier, who didn't see action with the Jaguars, played a total of 13 NFL games for the Bengals and Cowboys and also spent time with the Barcelona Dragons in NFL Europe.

He attended training camp with the Jaguars before joining the Cowboys and then the Bengals before being allocated to the NFL Europe's Barcelona Dragons. He joined the Eskimos in 2005 and played there for two seasons before signing with the Stampeders, where he suited up for 11 years. From 2005 to 2015, Chevrier played a total of 178 regular-season contests for the Stamps, tying Hall-of-Famer Wayne Harris for eighth place on the franchise's all-time list.

Chevrier was hugely devoted to community service in Calgary and has remained a fixture in that area since his 2017 retirement.

In 2014, Chevrier was awarded the Stamps' Herm Harrison Memorial Award and the CFLPA's Tom Pate Memorial Award for outstanding sportsmanship and contribution to his team and community. he served as the Stamps club representative to the Canadian Cancer Society and started a number of community-based initiatives. Among them was a weekly hospital visits program, an Anti-Bullying campaign, and a "Tickled Pink" event which annually raises thousands of dollars for the Canadian Cancer Society.  He also volunteered with the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters and served as a substitute teacher, a high school and youth football coach, and a minor hockey coach. He was formerly the rep for the "Every Yard Counts" program with the Alberta Children's Hospital.

Prior to choosing to pursue a professional football career, Chevrier had a tryout with Bobsleigh Canada.

Randy Chevrier's Pro Football Career Highlights

• A Grey Cup champion with the Stampeders in both 2008 and 2013, in addition to one with the Eskimos in 2003
• Played his 100th career CFL game on Aug. 8, 2009, against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• Played his 150th career CFL game on Aug. 9, 2012, against Hamilton
• Suited up for his 100th game as a Stampeder on Sept. 17, 2010, against Saskatchewan
• Suited up in his 125th game as a Stampeder on Nov. 5, 2011, against Winnipeg
• Dropped Ottawa's Kerry Joseph on July 31, 2003, for his first-career sack
• His first CFL interception came on Sept. 9, 2005, against Edmonton
• Made a one-yard reception for first-career touchdown against Saskatchewan on Sept. 15, 2007
• Picked up his second-career touchdown with a one-yard reception against Winnipeg on Nov. 5, 2010
• Started his Stamps career with a 53-game ironman streak that ended with the final contest of 2007
• Played the entire 2006 season with a broken hand and snapped all of the team's punts and field goals with his hand in a cast
• In a game during the 2010 season, he punted the ball once, sending the kick an impressive 52 yards downfield

SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Off.)
WEBSITE: www.mcgillathletics.ca
TWITTER: @EarlZukerman
E-MAIL: earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca