Christopher Schultz (February 16, 1960 – March 4, 2021) was a Canadian professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He primarily played with the CFL Toronto Argonauts. Schultz played college football at the University of Arizona. He was a sportscaster with Canadian sports television channel TSN.
| No. 66, 67 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | February 16, 1960 Burlington, Ontario, Canada | ||||
| Died: | March 4, 2021 (aged 61) Burlington, Ontario, Canada | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 277 lb (126 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Burlington (ON) Aldershot | ||||
| College: | Arizona | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1983 / round: 7 / pick: 189 | ||||
| CFL draft: | 1982 / round: 1 / pick: 7 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
| |||||
Early life
editSchultz attended Aldershot High School in Burlington, Ontario, where he was a part of 2 football championships. He also practiced basketball.
He accepted a football scholarship from the University of Arizona. He was recruited by Arizona head coach Tony Mason as a defensive tackle.
As a redshirt freshman, he was named a starter at defensive tackle, where he played his first three years.
One of the strongest players on the team, he was converted into a left tackle as a senior, after the team experienced a rash of injuries on the offensive line.[1]
In 2015, he was inducted into the Burlington Sports Hall of Fame.[2] In 2016, he was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.[3]
Professional career
editDallas Cowboys
editSchultz was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round (189th overall) of the 1983 NFL draft. He was also selected by the Arizona Wranglers in the 1983 USFL Territorial Draft. As a rookie, he appeared in five games on special teams.
In 1984, he injured his right knee in the third preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. On August 21, he was placed on the injured reserve list.[4]
In 1985, Phil Pozderac injured his knee during the third game of the season, which opened the door for Schultz to start at left tackle, only to return to a backup role when Pozderac was healthy. He eventually regained the starting position from the thirteenth game until the playoffs, but struggled while playing against the Los Angeles Rams.[5] He appeared in 16 games with 8 starts. He was waived on August 26, 1986.[6]
Toronto Argonauts
editIn 1986, Schultz returned to Canada to play for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL), who owned his rights after drafting him in the first round of the 1982 CFL Draft.
He played in 124 games for the Argos over his nine-year career.[7] Schultz was named a CFL All-Star twice (1987, 1988), appeared in the Grey Cup in 1987 and was a member of the 1991 Grey Cup championship team.
In 2007, he was named to the Argonauts All-time team.
Broadcasting career
editSchultz was a CFL football sportscaster on The Sports Network from 1998 to 2017.[8] He also co-hosted a weekly one-hour sports radio program on TSN 1050 in Toronto, called Football Sunday with Mike Hogan during the CFL and NFL seasons. He was also the NFL Insider for TSN.
Schultz was announced as a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame 2023 class on March 16, 2023, in the media wing.[8]
Personal life
editSchultz died of a heart attack on March 4, 2021, at the age of 61.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Chris Schultz, 61, joined Arizona Wildcats from Canada as unknown talent". Allsportstucson.com. March 6, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ "Chris Schultz - Football". Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ "Fernandez put Cleveland in its last WS, now Ontario HOFer". Canadianbaseballnetwork.com. October 24, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ "Dallas Puts Randy White On Hold". Observer-Reporter. August 22, 1984. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ Wojciechowski, Gene (January 5, 1986). "Unable to Do Any Kicking, Cowboys Take Their Licking". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ "Dallas Cowboys". Boca Raton News. August 27, 1986. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ Simmons, Steve (May 7, 2007). "Pick of the Argos crop". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2007.
- ^ a b "Solomon Elimimian, John Bowman headline 2023 CFHOF class". Canadian Football League. March 16, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ "Former Argonauts offensive lineman, TSN analyst Chris Schultz dies at age 61". The Canadian Press. March 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2024.