Athlete Modern
Fantuz, Andy
SPORT | Football
POSITION | Receiver
YEAR OF INDUCTION | 2022
(1983 - )
Andy Fantuz is the most successful football player to ever come out of Chatham.
After an outstanding high school career with the McGregor Panthers, Andy enjoyed an even more spectacular university career with the Western Mustangs, culminating with the Hec Crighton Trophy winner as the top player in Canada in 2005.
He was selected in the first round of the 2006 Canadian Football League draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, where he played for six seasons followed by six more years with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Career Highlights
1997-2002 – Attended John McGregor Secondary School where he played football and basketball for the Panthers.
In 2000 and 2001 he played on back-to-back OFSAA 'AA' championship basketball teams.
In 2002 the team moved up to ‘AAAA’ and finished fourth at OFSAA. This team was inducted into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. Andy also played for the Essex County Ravens of the Ontario Varsity Football League where he won league MVP in 2002.
2002-2005 – Andy played four stellar seasons with the Western Mustangs, winning the CIS Rookie of the year award in 2002 with a single-season record 1,300 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns.
Andy was a CIS All-Canadian in all four seasons.
2004-2005 – Hec Crighton Trophy winner as the best university player in Canada. He finished his university career as OUA and CIS leader with 189 receptions for 4,123 yards and 41 touchdowns.
2006 - Andy represented Eastern Canada in the American East-West Shrine game on January 21st, showcasing the best college talent in the United States with invitees from Canada.
2006 – Saskatchewan Roughriders drafted Andy as the third player chosen overall in the CFL draft. He had 30 catches for 408 yards and four touchdowns in his rookie season.
2007 – Saskatchewan Roughriders won the Grey Cup with a 23-19 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. With 4 catches for 70 yards and 1 touchdown, Andy received the Dick Suderman Trophy as the Most Valuable Canadian in the game. Andy was named Canadian Player of the Month for September and finished the season just short of 1,000 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. He was the Roughriders nominee for Most Outstanding Canadian.
2008 – Andy only played in seven games as he missed the middle of the season due to a broken fibula.
2009 – Andy had 67 receptions as the Roughriders returned to the Grey Cup, however they lost 28-27 to the Montreal Alouettes. Andy had a team-high 5 catches and a touchdown in the Grey Cup game.
2010 – Andy was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player as he led all receivers in the CFL with 1,380 receiving yards on 87 catches.
2011 – Andy signed a contract with the Chicago Bears, unfortunately he was waived in September after the preseason. He returned to Saskatchewan, however an ankle injury limited Andy to only four games.
2012 – Signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and had a career-high 8 touchdowns in his first year.
2013 – The Tiger-Cats advanced to the Grey Cup against Andy's former team as the Roughriders won 45-23. Andy led Hamilton with 7 receptions for 76 yards in the game.
2014 – Andy played in his fifth and final Grey Cup as he was named the Dick Suderman Trophy winner for the second time as the top Canadian in the game. He caught 6 passes for 81 yards in a 20-16 loss to the Calgary Stampeders.
2015 – Andy was limited to nine games due to a dislocated elbow.
2016 – Andy had a career-high 101 receptions for 1,059 yards topping the 1,000 yard plateau. He would miss the final game of the season after being diagnosed with a torn ACL.
2017 – Andy retired after playing three games with the Tiger-Cats. He finished his career with 8,363 receiving yards, 637 receptions and 44 touchdowns in 148 regular season games. Plus, another 992 yards, 76 receptions and 6 touchdowns in 18 playoff games. At the time of his retirement, Andy was ranked fourth among Canadians and 18th overall for career receptions, and was ninth among Canadians and 33rd overall for receiving yards in the CFL.
Andy currently owns and operates Scholars of Oakville Joshua Creek, an academic tutoring business to help students reach their academic potential. He also owns and operates AthletiX Training Systems, a performance training business.
Andy and his wife Amanda live in Oakville, Ontario, and have 2 daughters Abigail and Scarlett.