Anthony Calvillo facts for kids
| Montreal Alouettes | |
Calvillo with the Montreal Alouettes in 2023
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| Born: | August 23, 1972 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Career information | |
| CFL status | American |
| Position(s) | Offensive coordinator Quarterbacks coach |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| College | Utah State |
| High school | La Puente |
| Hand | Right |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 2015–2017 | Montreal Alouettes –Receivers coach (2015) –Offensive coordinator (2015–2016) –Quarterbacks coach (2016–2017) |
| 2018 | Toronto Argonauts –Quarterbacks coach |
| 2019–2021 | Montreal Carabins –Assistant head coach (2019) –Offensive coordinator (2021) –Quarterbacks coach (2021) |
| 2022–present | Montreal Alouettes –Quarterbacks coach (2022–present) –Offensive coordinator (2023–present) |
| As player | |
| 1994 | Las Vegas Posse |
| 1995–1997 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| 1998–2013 | Montreal Alouettes |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| CFL All-Star | 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2012 |
| CFL East All-Star | 2000, 2002–2004, 2006, 2008–2012 |
| Honours |
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| Records | Most career touchdown passes (455) Most career pass completions (5892) Most career pass attempts (9437) Most career passing yards in Grey Cup games (2470 yards) |
| Career stats | |
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Anthony Calvillo (born August 23, 1972) is an American football coach and former quarterback. He is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Calvillo was once the all-time leader in passing yards in professional football from 2011 to 2020. He still holds the record for the most passing yards in CFL history. During his playing career, he threw for an amazing 79,816 yards. He is also one of only a few professional quarterbacks to throw over 400 touchdown passes. His passing yards record was later broken by Drew Brees in 2020.
He won three Grey Cup championships as a player in 2002, 2009, and 2010. He was also named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player in 2002. Calvillo won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award three times (in 2003, 2008, and 2009). This ties him for second place all-time for this award. Calvillo retired from playing on January 21, 2014. He then became an assistant coach for the Alouettes from 2015 to 2017 and for the Toronto Argonauts in 2018.
Contents
Early Life and Sports
Anthony Calvillo was born in Los Angeles, California. When he attended La Puente High School, he was a talented athlete in both football and basketball. He is of Mexican-American background. Calvillo grew up in a challenging home environment, and sports became a way for him to find focus and escape.
College Football Career
Calvillo played for two seasons at Mt. San Antonio College. Then, in 1992, he moved to Utah State University. After a good junior year as the starting quarterback, he had an amazing senior season in 1993. He set a school record with 3,260 total yards of offense during the regular season. He also set a school record by throwing five touchdown passes in a single game, which he did twice!
With Calvillo leading the team, Utah State won the Big West Conference championship in 1993. This was their first conference title since 1979. The Aggies ended the year with a 42–33 win over Ball State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Calvillo threw for 386 yards and three touchdowns in that game, earning him the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. It was Utah State's first-ever bowl victory.
College Statistics
| Utah State Aggies | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||
| Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Att | Yds | TD | ||||
| 1992 | 201 | 360 | 2,494 | 16 | 9 | 65 | 84 | 4 | |||
| 1993 | 247 | 469 | 3,148 | 19 | 10 | 89 | 112 | 4 | |||
| Career | 448 | 829 | 5,642 | 35 | 19 | 154 | 196 | 8 | |||
Professional Playing Career
After college, Anthony Calvillo was not chosen by an NFL team. He began his Canadian Football League career in 1994 with the Las Vegas Posse, a team that was part of the CFL's expansion into the United States.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Las Vegas Posse team stopped playing after just one year. Calvillo was then chosen first overall by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a special draft for players from the folded U.S. teams. In Hamilton, Calvillo mostly played as a backup quarterback.
In 1996, Calvillo set a Hamilton team record by throwing for 518 yards in a game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Later that year, he broke his own record by throwing for 542 yards against the Montreal Alouettes. This was the most passing yards by any player in the CFL that year.
Montreal Alouettes
In 1998, Calvillo joined the Montreal Alouettes as a free agent. This is where he became one of the most famous quarterbacks in CFL history. He led the Alouettes to the 2002 Grey Cup, which was their first championship in 25 years. In that game, he was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player.
During the 2003 CFL season, Calvillo broke many Montreal Alouette passing records. He completed 408 passes for 5,891 yards and 37 touchdowns. In 2004, he threw for 6,041 yards, becoming only the fourth quarterback in CFL history to pass for over 6,000 yards in a single season. He was nominated for the Most Outstanding Player award for the third year in a row.
With Calvillo as quarterback, the 2004 Alouettes became the first team in CFL history to have four players each catch for over 1,000 yards in the same season. They did this again in 2005!
The 2008 CFL season was full of milestones for Calvillo. He passed Danny McManus to become the second all-time leading passer in the CFL. He also became the fourth quarterback in league history to throw 300 career touchdown passes. Later, he became the second quarterback in CFL history to complete 4,000 career passes. With 5,633 passing yards and 43 touchdown passes, Calvillo won the 2008 Most Outstanding Player award. He led the Alouettes to the 96th Grey Cup final, but they lost to the Calgary Stampeders.
In 2009, Calvillo continued to break records. He passed Canadian Football Hall of Famer Ron Lancaster for second place in career touchdown passes. Even though he missed two games, he still threw for 4,639 yards and completed an amazing 72.0% of his passes. Calvillo led Montreal to a thrilling comeback victory in the 97th Grey Cup. They won 28–27 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders with a last-second field goal.
Calvillo won his third Grey Cup on November 28, 2010, defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders again. He added to his record for most passing yards in Grey Cup games with 2,470 yards. He also set a record for starting in eight Grey Cup games.
After the 2010 season, Calvillo had surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his thyroid. The surgery was successful.
On July 15, 2011, Calvillo threw his 395th career touchdown pass, setting a new CFL record. On October 10, 2011, he threw a touchdown pass that made him professional football's all-time leading passer. In 2012, Calvillo became the only player in football history to pass for over 5,000 yards seven times in his career. He also reached 4,000 yards passing eleven times, which is a CFL record.
Calvillo signed a two-year contract in December 2012. In Week 8 of the 2013 CFL season, he left a game after a hit and was later diagnosed with a concussion. He missed the rest of the 2013 season.
On January 21, 2014, Anthony Calvillo announced his retirement from professional football. On October 13, 2014, the Alouettes retired his jersey number, #13, in a special ceremony. When he retired, he was the last active player who had played for a U.S.-based CFL team during the league's expansion in the mid-1990s.
Career Statistics
| Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Att | Cmp | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | ||
| 1994 | LV | 17 | 14 | 348 | 154 | 44.3 | 2,582 | 13 | 15 | 64.4 | 42 | 195 | 4.6 | 21 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 1995 | HAM | 18 | 9 | 385 | 211 | 54.8 | 2,831 | 19 | 21 | 72.1 | 24 | 51 | 2.1 | 13 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 1996 | HAM | 13 | 7 | 265 | 157 | 59.2 | 2,571 | 13 | 13 | 87.8 | 40 | 311 | 7.8 | 53 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1997 | HAM | 12 | 10 | 278 | 160 | 57.6 | 2,177 | 12 | 11 | 80.6 | 53 | 242 | 4.6 | 29 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 1998 | MTL | 18 | 5 | 172 | 98 | 57.0 | 1,526 | 6 | 10 | 74.0 | 31 | 121 | 3.9 | 11 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1999 | MTL | 18 | 9 | 249 | 166 | 66.7 | 2,592 | 13 | 6 | 108.4 | 56 | 211 | 3.8 | 27 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 2000 | MTL | 18 | 17 | 435 | 272 | 62.5 | 4,277 | 27 | 5 | 111.1 | 58 | 230 | 4.0 | 26 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2001 | MTL | 18 | 15 | 412 | 250 | 60.7 | 3,671 | 16 | 9 | 93.6 | 40 | 253 | 6.3 | 29 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2002 | MTL | 18 | 17 | 569 | 338 | 59.4 | 5,013 | 27 | 10 | 96.8 | 45 | 327 | 7.3 | 24 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 2003 | MTL | 18 | 18 | 675 | 408 | 60.4 | 5,891 | 37 | 14 | 98.4 | 45 | 169 | 3.8 | 46 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 2004 | MTL | 18 | 18 | 690 | 431 | 62.5 | 6,041 | 31 | 15 | 96.6 | 44 | 237 | 5.4 | 18 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2005 | MTL | 18 | 17 | 661 | 437 | 66.1 | 5,556 | 34 | 19 | 97.4 | 35 | 189 | 5.4 | 15 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2006 | MTL | 18 | 18 | 640 | 402 | 62.8 | 4,714 | 20 | 15 | 85.8 | 28 | 185 | 6.6 | 21 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 2007 | MTL | 13 | 13 | 459 | 308 | 67.1 | 3,608 | 17 | 8 | 95.8 | 21 | 137 | 6.5 | 17 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2008 | MTL | 17 | 17 | 682 | 472 | 69.2 | 5,633 | 43 | 13 | 107.2 | 26 | 189 | 7.3 | 29 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 2009 | MTL | 18 | 16 | 550 | 396 | 72.0 | 4,639 | 26 | 6 | 108.4 | 32 | 198 | 6.2 | 30 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 2010 | MTL | 16 | 15 | 562 | 380 | 67.6 | 4,839 | 32 | 7 | 108.1 | 16 | 107 | 6.7 | 16 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2011 | MTL | 18 | 18 | 654 | 404 | 61.8 | 5,251 | 32 | 8 | 98.2 | 21 | 155 | 7.4 | 20 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 2012 | MTL | 18 | 17 | 555 | 333 | 60.0 | 5,082 | 31 | 14 | 98.3 | 19 | 155 | 8.2 | 22 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 2013 | MTL | 7 | 7 | 196 | 115 | 58.7 | 1,322 | 6 | 5 | 78.7 | 6 | 26 | 4.3 | 9 | 0 | 2 | ||
| CFL totals | 329 | 277 | 9,437 | 5,892 | 62.4 | 79,816 | 455 | 224 | 95.5 | 682 | 3,688 | 5.4 | 53 | 34 | 93 | |||
Playoff Games
| YEAR & GAME | TEAM | GP | GS | ATT | COMP | YD | TD | INT | RUSH | YD | TD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 North Semi-Final | HAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | ||
| 1996 East Semi-Final | HAM | 1 | 1 | 37 | 20 | 234 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 1998 East Semi-Final | MTL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | ||
| 1998 East Final | MTL | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | ||
| 1999 East Final | MTL | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | ||
| 2000 East Final | MTL | 1 | 1 | 21 | 8 | 165 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2001 East Semi-Final | MTL | 1 | 1 | 38 | 18 | 229 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 50 | 0 | ||
| 2002 East Final | MTL | 1 | 1 | 26 | 17 | 142 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 28 | 0 | ||
| 2003 East Final | MTL | 1 | 1 | 35 | 25 | 228 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 40 | 1 | ||
| 2004 East Final | MTL | 1 | 1 | 23 | 16 | 176 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2005 East Semi-Final | MTL | 1 | 1 | 31 | 22 | 314 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2005 East Final | MTL | 1 | 1 | 33 | 19 | 190 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2006 East Final | MTL | 1 | 1 | 22 | 14 | 252 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 0 | ||
| 2007 East Semi-Final | MTL | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2008 East Final | MTL | 1 | 1 | 32 | 20 | 295 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 0 | ||
| 2009 East Final | MTL | 1 | 1 | 28 | 19 | 312 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2010 East Final | MTL | 1 | 1 | 26 | 19 | 334 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 0 | ||
| 2011 East Semi-Final | MTL | 1 | 1 | 42 | 30 | 513 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2012 East Final | MTL | 1 | 1 | 34 | 20 | 303 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2013 East Semi-Final | MTL | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Totals | 18 | 14 | 436 | 270 | 3699 | 20 | 13 | 44 | 283 | 1 | |||
Grey Cup Games
| YEAR | TEAM | GP | GS | ATT | COMP | YD | TD | INT | RUSH | YD | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | MTL | 1 | 1 | 26 | 13 | 242 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 0 | |
| 2002 | MTL | 1 | 1 | 31 | 11 | 260 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2003 | MTL | 1 | 1 | 38 | 22 | 371 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2005 | MTL | 1 | 1 | 43 | 29 | 361 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 1 | |
| 2006 | MTL | 1 | 1 | 41 | 20 | 234 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2008 | MTL | 1 | 1 | 38 | 29 | 352 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | |
| 2009 | MTL | 1 | 1 | 39 | 26 | 314 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 0 | |
| 2010 | MTL | 1 | 1 | 42 | 29 | 336 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 0 | |
| Totals | 8 | 8 | 298 | 179 | 2,470 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 104 | 1 | ||
Coaching Career
Montreal Alouettes (First Time)
On December 15, 2014, the Montreal Alouettes announced that Calvillo would join the team as an offensive coach in 2015. He was first named the receivers coach. Later, he became the quarterbacks coach. He was also named co-offensive coordinator. For the 2016 season, Calvillo was the offensive coordinator. In 2017, he was the quarterbacks coach.
Toronto Argonauts
On March 19, 2018, the Toronto Argonauts hired Calvillo as their quarterback coach. This reunited him with his former general manager and head coach.
Montreal Carabins
On December 19, 2018, Calvillo became the assistant head coach for the Montreal Carabins football team. He was later promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the 2021 season.
Montreal Alouettes (Second Time)
On January 6, 2022, Calvillo returned to the Alouettes' coaching staff as the team's quarterbacks coach. In 2023, he became the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach. In this role, he won his first Grey Cup as a coach.
Honors and Achievements
- In 2011, he became the professional football all-time leader in passing yards.
- He won the Grey Cup championship in 2002, 2009, 2010, and 2023 (as a coach).
- He was the CFL Most Outstanding Player in 2003, 2008, and 2009.
- He won the East Division Most Outstanding Player award seven times.
- He was the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player in 2002.
- He was named to the CFL All-Star team multiple times.
- He was also named to the CFL East Division All-Star team many times.
In 2012, to celebrate the 100th Grey Cup, Canada Post featured his image on special postage stamps. These stamps were part of the celebrations for the Grey Cup's centennial.
On October 13, 2014, the Alouettes team retired Calvillo's number 13 jersey. This means no other player on the team will wear that number again.
He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
Personal Life
Anthony Calvillo and his wife Alexia have two daughters. They live in Montreal, Quebec, all year round. Calvillo became a Canadian citizen on November 19, 2021.
