Ben Sankey
Encyclopedia
Ben Sankey is a professional gridiron football
quarterback
who is currently a member of the Wichita Wild
. He was signed as a street free agent by the Calgary Stampeders
in 2000. He played college football
at Wake Forest
.
Sankey has also played for the Houston Texans
, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
, Tennessee Valley Raptors, Rock River Raptors
, and BC Lions
.
. Sankey also attended Wake Forest University
from 1996 to 1999. He played his first three years as Brian Kuklick's back-up, finally becoming the starter in 1999. He led the Demon Deacons to the Aloha Bowl, winning convincingly over Arizona State
. He was named most valuable player in the game.
, and signed a contract with the CFL
's Calgary Stampeders
in 2000. He dressed for 16 games and did not see any playing time until the final game of the season against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
. He completed all four of his pass attempts.
In 2001 he was named the Stampeders' starting quarterback, however a sprained thumb caused him to miss several games. Marcus Crandell
took over and led the Stampeders to their fifth Grey Cup
championship. His play was promising enough for the Houston Texans
of the National Football League
to take interest in him: he was signed to a contract before the 2002 season.
He did not receive any playing time with the Texans, so he returned to the Stampeders later that season, playing in seven games.
He returned to the Texans in 2003, however he was relegated to the practice squad and saw no playing time. In 2004 he returned to the CFL, this time with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
, however, again, he saw no playing time. Discontent, he signed a contract with the Tennessee Valley Raptors of United Indoor Football
in 2005. He returned to the franchise in 2006 after it had relocated to Rockford, Illinois
, finishing the season with 47 touchdown passes. He was named the league's most valuable player.
He returned to the CFL with the British Columbia Lions
under coach Wally Buono
, who originally brought him to the CFL with the Stampeders
seven years before. Again he saw no playing time, placed on the practice roster. Fortunately for him the Stampeders were in need of a quarterback after Henry Burris
fell to injury and Akili Smith
and Barrick Nealy
proved ineffective. He returned to the Stampeders in relief of Smith on October 8, in a game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders
. He completed 19 of 25 passes for 262 yards and 2 touchdown
s. In three appearances he threw for 818 yards and five touchdowns for a quarterback rating of 106.6.
He began the 2008 CFL season with the Stampeders but was sidelined with an injury. Upon recovering from his injury Sankey appeared to be the fourth quarterback on the Stampeders' depth chart and was released in July 2008. This did not last as Dave Dickenson
was injured for the remainder of the season and Sankey was brought back to the Stampeders.
On May 4, 2009, Sankey was released by the Stampeders. He later signed with the Omaha Nighthawks
of the United Football League in July 2010.
Gridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
who is currently a member of the Wichita Wild
Wichita Wild
The Wichita Wild is a professional indoor football team located in Wichita, Kansas. The wild plays in the Indoor Football League the second biggest football league in the United States only after the NFL. The IFL was formed in 2008 through a merger between the Intense Football League and the...
. He was signed as a street free agent by the 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...
in 2000. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Wake Forest
Wake Forest Demon Deacons football
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represents Wake Forest University in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Wake Forest plays its home football games at BB&T Field....
.
Sankey has also played for the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
, Tennessee Valley Raptors, Rock River Raptors
Rock River Raptors
This page is for the Continental Indoor Football League team, for the National Premier Soccer League team also based in Rockford, see Rockford Raptors....
, and BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
.
Early years
Sankey attended Chicago's Whitney Young Magnet High School where he excelled in football and basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. Sankey also attended Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
from 1996 to 1999. He played his first three years as Brian Kuklick's back-up, finally becoming the starter in 1999. He led the Demon Deacons to the Aloha Bowl, winning convincingly over Arizona State
Arizona State Sun Devils football
The Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
. He was named most valuable player in the game.
Professional career
Sankey went undrafted in the 2000 NFL Draft2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
, and signed a contract with the CFL
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 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...
in 2000. He dressed for 16 games and did not see any playing time until the final game of the season against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
. He completed all four of his pass attempts.
In 2001 he was named the Stampeders' starting quarterback, however a sprained thumb caused him to miss several games. Marcus Crandell
Marcus Crandell
Marcus Crandell is a Canadian football coach and former quarterback who is the current Offensive Coordinator of the Edmonton Eskimos....
took over and led the Stampeders to their fifth Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
championship. His play was promising enough for the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of 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...
to take interest in him: he was signed to a contract before the 2002 season.
He did not receive any playing time with the Texans, so he returned to the Stampeders later that season, playing in seven games.
He returned to the Texans in 2003, however he was relegated to the practice squad and saw no playing time. In 2004 he returned to the CFL, this time with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
, however, again, he saw no playing time. Discontent, he signed a contract with the Tennessee Valley Raptors of United Indoor Football
United Indoor Football
United Indoor Football was a United States indoor football league that started in 2005. Ten owners from the National Indoor Football League, including one expansion and two from arenafootball2 took their franchises and formed their own league...
in 2005. He returned to the franchise in 2006 after it had relocated to Rockford, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
, finishing the season with 47 touchdown passes. He was named the league's most valuable player.
He returned to the CFL with the British Columbia Lions
British Columbia Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
under coach Wally Buono
Wally Buono
Pasquale "Wally" Buono is the head coach, general manager and alternate governor of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League, and one of the most successful coaches in league history. He is in his 19th year of coaching, previously as head coach of the Calgary Stampeders and currently with the...
, who originally brought him to the CFL with the 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...
seven years before. Again he saw no playing time, placed on the practice roster. Fortunately for him the Stampeders were in need of a quarterback after Henry Burris
Henry Burris
Henry Burris, Jr. is a professional Canadian and former American football player. Burris plays the quarterback position with the Canadian Football League Calgary Stampeders. Burris spent one year as a reserve quarterback for the National Football League's Chicago Bears...
fell to injury and Akili Smith
Akili Smith
Kabisa Akili Maradufu Smith is a former professional American and Canadian football quarterback. He was selected in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, the third quarterback in the first three choices, behind Tim Couch , and Donovan McNabb...
and Barrick Nealy
Barrick Nealy
Barrick Nealy is a former American and Canadian football quarterback, most recently playing for the Calgary Stampeders...
proved ineffective. He returned to the Stampeders in relief of Smith on October 8, in a game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
. He completed 19 of 25 passes for 262 yards and 2 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s. In three appearances he threw for 818 yards and five touchdowns for a quarterback rating of 106.6.
He began the 2008 CFL season with the Stampeders but was sidelined with an injury. Upon recovering from his injury Sankey appeared to be the fourth quarterback on the Stampeders' depth chart and was released in July 2008. This did not last as Dave Dickenson
Dave Dickenson
David Dickenson is a former professional Canadian football player with the Calgary Stampeders and the BC Lions. Dickenson also played quarterback collegiately at the University of Montana, where he led the Montana Grizzlies to the 1995 NCAA I-AA college football championship.-High school...
was injured for the remainder of the season and Sankey was brought back to the Stampeders.
On May 4, 2009, Sankey was released by the Stampeders. He later signed with the Omaha Nighthawks
Omaha Nighthawks
The Omaha Nighthawks are a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which plays in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. For their first season, the Nighthawks played their home games at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium before moving to TD...
of the United Football League in July 2010.