Chris Brazzell
Encyclopedia
Chris Brazzell is a retired Canadian Football League
wide receiver
.
with the Angelo State University
Rams after playing the previous two years for the Blinn College
Buccaneers. Despite playing only two seasons at Angelo State, he finished ninth on the Rams' all-time receiving list with 1,565 yards. He was a two-time All-Lone Star Conference
selection. As a senior, he earned second team All-America
n and first team All-Lone Star Conference honors.
drafted
Brazzell in the sixth round (174th overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft
. He attended the Jets training camp and was released on August 30. He was subsequently signed by the Jets to their practice roster, where he remained for all of the regular season and playoffs. Brazzell began the 1999 season
with the New York Jets but was claimed off waivers by the Dallas Cowboys
on September 6. He made his NFL debut on special teams in the Cowboys' 41-35 season-opening victory over the Washington Redskins
. He recorded his first NFL reception in a 20-10 Dallas victory over the Philadelphia Eagles
, a 12-yard grab from quarterback Troy Aikman
. He followed that up the next week with a season-high 62 yards on two receptions. He earned his first NFL start in the Cowboys' 27-10 Wildcard loss to the Minnesota Vikings
. In the 2000 season
Brazzell dressed for nine games for the Dallas Cowboys. He caught only two passes for 12 yards but saw plenty of special teams action, finishing in a tie for seventh place with ten special teams tackles. On two occasions he led the team in special teams tackles. He missed Dallas' final two regular season games due to a shoulder injury. Brazzell attended the Cowboys training camp in 2001, but was released on August 28. He saw limited action in the pre-season with Dallas, hauling in five receptions for 99 yards and one touchdown.
practice roster on October 15. He made his CFL debut on Nov. 4 in a 32-26 Edmonton win over the Montreal Alouettes
, a game in which he had three catches for 76 yards. He also had one catch for nine yards in Edmonton's 34-16 Western Final loss to Calgary.
in a 27-21 season-opening victory against the Calgary Stampeders
. He continued to make big plays in the post-season for the Esks. He had four receptions for 79 yards in Edmonton's 33-30 Western Final over Winnipeg. And in the Esks' 25-16 Grey Cup
loss to Montreal, Brazzell had three receptions for 65 yards.
as a free agent on March 25. He played in all 18 games for B.C. that season. He finished second on team, and sixth in the CFL, with 1,111 yards on 68 catches including six receiving touchdowns. He registered five 100-yard receiving games. He had perhaps his best game of the season in the Lions' 26-20 victory on September 20 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
when seven receptions for 157 yards. He had the first multi-to game of his CFL career when he hauled in a pair of scores in the Lions' August 22 victory against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
. Brazzell had two catches for 11 yards in the Lions' 28-7 Eastern Semifinal loss in Toronto.
. He also had a pair of passes in the Leo's 27-19 loss to the Toronto Argonauts
in that year's Grey Cup championship.
for them. This outraged Brazzell, as he saw himself as a deep threat receiver, something that playing slotback did not let him do. On August 9, 2005, Brazzell was traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
in exchange for Canadian receiver Kamau Peterson
. The trade quickly showed to be one sided, with Brazzell hauling in 12 passes for 307 yards and two TDs in his first 3 games as a Bomber, surpassing his yard total and matching his TD total that he had posted in 6 games as a Ti-cat. Brazzell finished the season with 46 catches for 708 yards and 6 TDs.
on July 1 and a couple more touchdowns in other games. By mid season his play started to flounder, with him being totally neutral during many games. At the end of the 2006 CFL season
Brazzell picked his play up to finish the season with 43 catches for 604 yards and 7 touchdowns. Although Brazzell was scheduled to become a free agent on February 16 2007 he chose to re-sign with the Blue Bombers.
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....
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
.
College career
Brazzell played the final two seasons (1996 and 1997) of his collegiate careerCollege 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...
with the Angelo State University
Angelo State University
Angelo State University is a public, coeducational, doctoral level degree-granting university located in San Angelo, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1928 as San Angelo College. It gained University status and awarded its first baccalaureate degrees in 1967 and graduate degrees in 1969, the...
Rams after playing the previous two years for the Blinn College
Blinn College
Blinn College is a two-year academic institution based in Brenham, Texas with campuses in Brenham, Bryan, Schulenburg, and Sealy. While the Brenham campus is Blinn's main campus, more than 70% of students attend the Bryan campus....
Buccaneers. Despite playing only two seasons at Angelo State, he finished ninth on the Rams' all-time receiving list with 1,565 yards. He was a two-time All-Lone Star Conference
Lone Star Conference
The Lone Star Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico...
selection. As a senior, he earned second team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n and first team All-Lone Star Conference honors.
NFL career
The New York JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
Brazzell in the sixth round (174th overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft
1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...
. He attended the Jets training camp and was released on August 30. He was subsequently signed by the Jets to their practice roster, where he remained for all of the regular season and playoffs. Brazzell began the 1999 season
1999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
with the New York Jets but was claimed off waivers by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
on September 6. He made his NFL debut on special teams in the Cowboys' 41-35 season-opening victory over the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. He recorded his first NFL reception in a 20-10 Dallas victory over the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, a 12-yard grab from quarterback Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played twelve consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Cowboys...
. He followed that up the next week with a season-high 62 yards on two receptions. He earned his first NFL start in the Cowboys' 27-10 Wildcard loss to the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. In the 2000 season
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
Brazzell dressed for nine games for the Dallas Cowboys. He caught only two passes for 12 yards but saw plenty of special teams action, finishing in a tie for seventh place with ten special teams tackles. On two occasions he led the team in special teams tackles. He missed Dallas' final two regular season games due to a shoulder injury. Brazzell attended the Cowboys training camp in 2001, but was released on August 28. He saw limited action in the pre-season with Dallas, hauling in five receptions for 99 yards and one touchdown.
2001 Season
Brazzell joined the Edmonton EskimosEdmonton 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...
practice roster on October 15. He made his CFL debut on Nov. 4 in a 32-26 Edmonton win over the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
, a game in which he had three catches for 76 yards. He also had one catch for nine yards in Edmonton's 34-16 Western Final loss to Calgary.
2002 Season
Brazzell played in 11 games in his second season with the Edmonton Eskimos. He finished fourth among Edmonton receivers with 30 receptions for 546 yards and three touchdowns. One of the personal highlights for Brazzell was a 101-yard reception for a touchdown from Jason MaasJason Maas
Jason Maas is a former Canadian football quarterback. He is best known for his career in the Canadian Football League, which was largely spent with the Edmonton Eskimos...
in a 27-21 season-opening victory against 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...
. He continued to make big plays in the post-season for the Esks. He had four receptions for 79 yards in Edmonton's 33-30 Western Final over Winnipeg. And in the Esks' 25-16 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...
loss to Montreal, Brazzell had three receptions for 65 yards.
2003 Season
Brazzell signed with the BC LionsBC 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...
as a free agent on March 25. He played in all 18 games for B.C. that season. He finished second on team, and sixth in the CFL, with 1,111 yards on 68 catches including six receiving touchdowns. He registered five 100-yard receiving games. He had perhaps his best game of the season in the Lions' 26-20 victory on September 20 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
when seven receptions for 157 yards. He had the first multi-to game of his CFL career when he hauled in a pair of scores in the Lions' August 22 victory 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...
. Brazzell had two catches for 11 yards in the Lions' 28-7 Eastern Semifinal loss in Toronto.
2004 Season
In 2004 Brazzell finished fourth on the BC Lions in receiving with 49 receptions for 906 yards and eight TDs in 16 games. He had three 100-yard games during that span. Brazzell was equally effective in the post-season for the Lions. He had three catches for 40 yards and one TD in B.C.'s 27-25 Western Final overtime victory against the Saskatchewan RoughridersSaskatchewan 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 also had a pair of passes in the Leo's 27-19 loss to the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
in that year's Grey Cup championship.
2005 Season
In 2005 Brazzell signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. During his brief stay in Hamilton, Brazzell had 22 catches for 252 yards and two TDs in six games. Brazzell had signed with the Ti-cats on the promise that he would only play the wide receiver position, but the Ti-cats coaching staff had Brazzell play slotbackSlotback
Slotback is a position in Gridiron football . The slotback is similar to the wide receiver but also has many of the same traits as a running back, lines up closer to the offensive line and often farther back...
for them. This outraged Brazzell, as he saw himself as a deep threat receiver, something that playing slotback did not let him do. On August 9, 2005, Brazzell was traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
in exchange for Canadian receiver Kamau Peterson
Kamau Peterson
Kamau Peterson is a professional Canadian football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He was originally drafted sixth overall by the Calgary Stampeders in the 2001 CFL Draft and won the 89th Grey Cup with the team...
. The trade quickly showed to be one sided, with Brazzell hauling in 12 passes for 307 yards and two TDs in his first 3 games as a Bomber, surpassing his yard total and matching his TD total that he had posted in 6 games as a Ti-cat. Brazzell finished the season with 46 catches for 708 yards and 6 TDs.
2006 Season
2006 was a season of ups and downs for Brazzell. He started the season strong with a multiple touchdown game against the Edmonton EskimosEdmonton 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...
on July 1 and a couple more touchdowns in other games. By mid season his play started to flounder, with him being totally neutral during many games. At the end of the 2006 CFL season
2006 CFL season
-2006 Rogers CFL Awards:* CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Geroy Simon , BC Lions* CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Brent Johnson , BC Lions* CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Brent Johnson , BC Lions...
Brazzell picked his play up to finish the season with 43 catches for 604 yards and 7 touchdowns. Although Brazzell was scheduled to become a free agent on February 16 2007 he chose to re-sign with the Blue Bombers.