A. J. Gass is a former Canadian football

Canadian football

Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...

 linebacker

Linebacker

A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

. He played his entire professional career with the Canadian Football League

Canadian Football League

The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....

's Edmonton Eskimos

Edmonton Eskimos

The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...

.

Gass attended Fresno State University and was an all-conference first-team linebacker in 1996 and 1997. After graduating from Fresno State, Gass went undrafted in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 and, on May 21, 1998, signed with the Eskimos as a free agent. Gass appeared in nine games in the 1998 CFL season

1998 CFL season

-1998 CFL Awards:*CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Mike Pringle , Montreal Alouettes*CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Mike Morreale , Hamilton Tiger-Cats*CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Joe Montford , Hamilton Tiger-Cats...

, and soon established himself as an important member of the Eskimos' lineup. However, Gass has had to battle a series of serious injuries: in , a hand injury sidelined Gass for eleven weeks, and a chronic knee problem limited his time in both and , with the latter injury requiring surgery.

The surgery was successful and Gass had a successful 2003 season

2003 CFL season

The 2003 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 50th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 46th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 2003:...

, winning the 91st Grey Cup

91st Grey Cup

The 91st Grey Cup was the 2003 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes on November 16 at Taylor Field, in Regina, Saskatchewan before 50,909 fans...

 with the Eskimos. In , Gass was a key cog in the Eskimos' victory in the 93rd Grey Cup

93rd Grey Cup

The 93rd Grey Cup game was held on November 27, 2005, at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes, to decide the winner of the 2005 season of the Canadian Football League. The Eskimos prevailed over the Alouettes in a 38-35 overtime...

.

Gass encountered suspension trouble in after Gass ripped the helmet off Calgary Stampeders

Calgary Stampeders

The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...

 lineman Jeff Pilon

Jeff Pilon

Jeff Pilon is a former gridiron football offensive tackle. He was drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the third round with the 17th overall pick in the 1999 CFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse....

 and threw it to the ground. Gass claimed the situation arose after Pilon had groped his groin. However, after appealing to an independent arbitrator, Gass avoided his suspension. Later, during team practice, Gass' teammate Sean Fleming

Sean Fleming

Sean Fleming is a former professional Canadian football placekicker and punter. Fleming was drafted sixth overall by the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos out of the University of Wyoming in the 1992 CFL Draft...

made a prank on him by putting a note and a protective jock strap on Gass' stall. The note read, "Sorry for being so frisky. Please accept this gift (the jock strap) as a reminder of my admiration...best of luck with your appeal. Signed: Jeff Pilon, No. 64 (a.k.a. 'Cuddles')". Taped to a rung in the locker stall was a jock strap labelled 'The Pilon Protector.'

On January 31, 2008, Gass announced his retirement as a player and was hired as a defensive assistant on the Edmonton coaching staff.

In the summer of 2010 Gass accepted a coaching position in Southern California, where he lives with his wife Stacey and their two young children.