Paul McCallum
Encyclopedia
Paul McCallum is a professional Canadian football
player currently playing as a placekicker
and punter
for the BC Lions
of the Canadian Football League
(CFL). He holds CFL records for longest field goal made at 62 yards, most consecutive field goals made at 30 successful attempts, and highest field goal kicking accuracy in a single season at 94.34%. He is currently the oldest active player in the CFL, having played in 19 seasons over the course of his career. McCallum is also the last active player to have played for the Ottawa Rough Riders
, with that franchise folding in 1996
.
.
to play professional soccer in the Scottish Third Division (his cousin, Brian O'Neill, is also a professional soccer player).
In 1993 he returned to Canada and signed as a free agent with the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats
. After being released, he had numerous short stints with the Ottawa Rough Riders
, BC Lions
and Saskatchewan Roughriders
through until 1996, when he departed for Scotland again. This time he was hired as the punter/placekicker for the Scottish Claymores
of the World League
, and was with the team when they won World Bowl
'96.
He then returned to Canada to play for the Roughriders again, and in the 1997 season he was their starting placekicker and punter for all 18 games. He played for Saskatchewan from 1997–2004, and additionally was the Las Vegas Outlaws
' kicker during the XFL
's only season in 2001. In the XFL he wore a jersey reading "CFL Reject".
McCallum currently holds the record for the longest field goal kicked in the CFL. He booted a wind-aided 62 yard field goal against the Edmonton Eskimos
on October 27, 2001 in a 12-3 victory at Taylor Field
.
In the 2004 CFL playoffs McCallum missed a crucial 18 yard field goal in an overtime game against the BC Lions
. The Roughriders went on to lose the game, and outraged fans vandalized McCallum's northwest Regina home with eggs, dumped manure on his neighbour's property, and uttered death threats to his family. The incident made national news, and the football club and Regina's mayor Pat Fiacco
both denounced the vandalism as an "isolated incident" of "hooliganism". On the comedy show This Hour Has 22 Minutes
, Shaun Majumder
(playing a Roughriders GM) apologized for calling McCallum "a bum who could be outkicked by a goat missing a leg".
On February 23, 2006, he signed a two year contract with the BC Lions
after declining to take a 30% paycut from the Roughriders.
He tied the record for most field goals in a Grey Cup
when he kicked six in six attempts in the 94th Grey Cup
on November 19, 2006. He was awarded the Dick Suderman Trophy as the Grey Cup's most valuable Canadian for his efforts.
In 2010
, McCallum set a number of career marks. Continuing from the 14 consecutive field goals he made at the end of the 2009 season
, McCallum connected on 10 straight to start the season, finishing just short of Dave Ridgway
's CFL record of 28 straight field goals. Throughout the season he was flirting with Lui Passaglia
's record for most accurate season (90.9%), and finished with a career best 88.2% completion percentage. He also finished the regular season with a career high 46 successful field goals. Because of his standout season, McCallum was named the Lions' nominee for Most Outstanding Player
, the first ever kicker in Lions' history, and Most Outstanding Canadian
.
On October 8, 2011 at BC Place in Vancouver, Paul set the record, with 30, for the most all-time consecutive field goals made in the CFL, breaking the previous mark of 28 held by Dave Ridgway
.
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...
player currently playing as a placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
and punter
Punter (football position)
A punter in American or Canadian football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a...
for the 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...
of 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....
(CFL). He holds CFL records for longest field goal made at 62 yards, most consecutive field goals made at 30 successful attempts, and highest field goal kicking accuracy in a single season at 94.34%. He is currently the oldest active player in the CFL, having played in 19 seasons over the course of his career. McCallum is also the last active player to have played for the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
, with that franchise folding in 1996
1996 CFL season
The 1996 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 43rd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 39th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1996:...
.
Junior career
McCallum played junior football with the Surrey Rams of the Canadian Junior Football LeagueCanadian Junior Football League
The Canadian Junior Football League is a national amateur Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in six provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl...
.
Professional career
Following his junior stint with the Rams, McCallum travelled to ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
to play professional soccer in the Scottish Third Division (his cousin, Brian O'Neill, is also a professional soccer player).
In 1993 he returned to Canada and signed as a free agent with the CFL's 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...
. After being released, he had numerous short stints with the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
, 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...
and 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...
through until 1996, when he departed for Scotland again. This time he was hired as the punter/placekicker for the Scottish Claymores
Scottish Claymores
The Scottish Claymores were an American football team from Scotland. The franchise played in the World League of American Football between 1995 and 2004, initially playing all home games at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh and latterly sharing home games with Hampden Park, Glasgow...
of the World League
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
, and was with the team when they won World Bowl
World Bowl
The World Bowl was the American football Championship game of NFL Europe, similar to the Super Bowl of the National Football League.The World Bowl trophy itself was a globe made of glass measuring 35.5 cm in diameter and weighing 18.6 kg .-World League of American Football:When NFL Europe was...
'96.
He then returned to Canada to play for the Roughriders again, and in the 1997 season he was their starting placekicker and punter for all 18 games. He played for Saskatchewan from 1997–2004, and additionally was the Las Vegas Outlaws
Las Vegas Outlaws
The Las Vegas Outlaws were an American football team in the short-lived XFL in the Western Division with the Los Angeles Xtreme, San Francisco Demons and Memphis Maniax...
' kicker during the XFL
XFL
The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
's only season in 2001. In the XFL he wore a jersey reading "CFL Reject".
McCallum currently holds the record for the longest field goal kicked in the CFL. He booted a wind-aided 62 yard field goal against the 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...
on October 27, 2001 in a 12-3 victory at Taylor Field
Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field
Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field is a sports stadium located in Regina, Saskatchewan which is used primarily to play Canadian football. It has been the home of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders in rudimentary form since 1910 and as a complete stadium since 1936...
.
In the 2004 CFL playoffs McCallum missed a crucial 18 yard field goal in an overtime game against the 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...
. The Roughriders went on to lose the game, and outraged fans vandalized McCallum's northwest Regina home with eggs, dumped manure on his neighbour's property, and uttered death threats to his family. The incident made national news, and the football club and Regina's mayor Pat Fiacco
Pat Fiacco
Pat Fiacco is the current Mayor of Regina, the capital city of Saskatchewan, Canada. As mayor, he is the chief executive of Regina City Council. Council consists of the mayor and ten councillors representing wards. Pat Fiacco was born and raised in Regina.-Political history:Fiacco has been...
both denounced the vandalism as an "isolated incident" of "hooliganism". On the comedy show This Hour Has 22 Minutes
This Hour Has 22 Minutes
This Hour Has 22 Minutes is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics, combining news parody, sketch comedy and satirical editorials...
, Shaun Majumder
Shaun Majumder
-Life and career:Majumder was born in Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador to a European descended mother from Newfoundland and an Indian father. He started his entertainment career as an announcer for the YTV game show CLIPS, and soon was hosting the network's popular morning kids show Brain...
(playing a Roughriders GM) apologized for calling McCallum "a bum who could be outkicked by a goat missing a leg".
On February 23, 2006, he signed a two year contract with the 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...
after declining to take a 30% paycut from the Roughriders.
He tied the record for most field goals in a 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...
when he kicked six in six attempts in the 94th Grey Cup
94th Grey Cup
The 94th Grey Cup game took place on November 19, 2006, at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba before 44,786 fans. Ticket prices ranged from $141 and $275.The game decided the championship of the 2006 Canadian Football League season...
on November 19, 2006. He was awarded the Dick Suderman Trophy as the Grey Cup's most valuable Canadian for his efforts.
In 2010
2010 BC Lions season
The 2010 BC Lions season was the 53rd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 57th overall. The Lions attempted to improve upon their 8–10 record from 2009 and win their 6th Grey Cup championship, but they lost in the West Semi-Final....
, McCallum set a number of career marks. Continuing from the 14 consecutive field goals he made at the end of the 2009 season
2009 BC Lions season
The 2009 BC Lions season is the 52nd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 56th overall. The Lions attempted to win their 6th Grey Cup championship....
, McCallum connected on 10 straight to start the season, finishing just short of Dave Ridgway
Dave Ridgway
David "Dave" Ridgway was a placekicker for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. His CFL career began in 1981 when he was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes. He did not make the squad that year and returned to the University of Toledo to complete his degree in Marketing...
's CFL record of 28 straight field goals. Throughout the season he was flirting with Lui Passaglia
Lui Passaglia
Lui Passaglia is a former professional Canadian football player. Passaglia was the placekicker/punter for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League for a record-breaking 25 years and scored more points in that time than any professional gridiron football player in history...
's record for most accurate season (90.9%), and finished with a career best 88.2% completion percentage. He also finished the regular season with a career high 46 successful field goals. Because of his standout season, McCallum was named the Lions' nominee for Most Outstanding Player
CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
The Most Outstanding Player Award is annually awarded to the best player in the Canadian Football League. The Most Outstanding Player award can be compared to the National Football League's Most Valuable Player, otherwise known as the "MVP" award...
, the first ever kicker in Lions' history, and Most Outstanding Canadian
CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award
The Most Outstanding Canadian Award is annually rewarded to the best Canadian player in the Canadian Football League. This is the second-last award to be given during the CFL Awards banquet, which takes place the week before Grey Cup weekend in the same city where it is hosted. The two nominees...
.
On October 8, 2011 at BC Place in Vancouver, Paul set the record, with 30, for the most all-time consecutive field goals made in the CFL, breaking the previous mark of 28 held by Dave Ridgway
Dave Ridgway
David "Dave" Ridgway was a placekicker for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. His CFL career began in 1981 when he was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes. He did not make the squad that year and returned to the University of Toledo to complete his degree in Marketing...
.