| No. 51 | |
| Born: | May 26, 1950 Mesa, Arizona, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Linebacker |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| College | Cal Lutheran |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1974–1976 | Toronto Argonauts |
| 1977 | Ottawa Rough Riders |
| 1977 | BC Lions |
| Awards |
|
| Honors |
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Sam Cvijanovich is a formerlinebacker in theCanadian Football League. Cvijanovich was a notable player for theCal Lutheran Kingsmen during the 1971 NAIA Division II Football National Championship. He has been named “the hardest hitter I’ve ever coached” by head coachBob Shoup. Nicknamed "Jawbone", Cvijanovich was six foot and 205 lbs. He was later named NAIA District III Player of the Year in both his junior and senior years at Cal Lutheran.[2] He was later drafted to the Canadian Football League after his collegiate career and was selected as theCFL Rookie of the Year in 1974 as a middle linebacker with theToronto Argonauts. He set a record for interceptions by a linebacker as a rookie and played three seasons for Toronto before being traded toVancouver. He ended his 1977 season and retired due to foot injuries.[3]
Sam Cvijanovich is a graduate ofSanta Clara High School inOxnard, California. While at Santa Clara he played football, basketball, and baseball under his fatherLou Cvijanovich, who coached varsity teams in all three sports.[4]
Cvijanovich played college football atCalifornia Lutheran College (1970–1972), where he was a second-team all-star in 1970. He was inducted into the Cal Lutheran Alumni Association Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.[5]
Cvijanovich played three years with theToronto Argonauts in the CFL (1974–1976), playing 43 games and wearing number 33. In 1974, he won theCFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award[6] on the strength of his 7 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. He later played for theOttawa Rough Riders, and seven games for theBC Lions, in 1977.
In 1980, Sam Cvijanovich purchased a biker bar in Oxnard with his brotherSteve Cvijanovich and reopened it as a sports bar called Sam's Saloon.[4]