Arland Bruce III facts for kids
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Bruce at the 99th Grey Cup
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| Born: | November 23, 1977 Olathe, Kansas, U.S. |
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| Career information | |
| Status | Active |
| CFL status | American |
| Position(s) | WR/SB |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Weight | 191 lb (87 kg) |
| College | Minnesota |
| High school | Olathe North (Olathe, Kansas) |
| NFL draft | 2000 / Undrafted |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2000 | Kansas City Chiefs* |
| 2001–2002 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| 2003 | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2004–2009 | Toronto Argonauts |
| 2009–2011 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| 2011–2012 | BC Lions |
| 2013 | Montreal Alouettes |
| *Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| CFL All-Star | 2006, 2009, 2010 |
| CFL East All-Star | 2005, 2006, 2008–2010 |
| Records | Most receptions in a single game (16) |
| Career stats | |
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Arland Richard Bruce III (born November 23, 1977) is an American former professional football player. He was a talented wide receiver in both the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL). Arland Bruce is a two-time Grey Cup champion, which is like winning the Super Bowl of Canadian football. He won in 2004 with the Toronto Argonauts and again in 2011 with the BC Lions.
He played for 12 seasons in the CFL. His teams included the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, BC Lions, and Montreal Alouettes. In the 2011 season, he became one of only 14 CFL receivers to gain over 10,000 yards in his career. Bruce also spent some time playing in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers.
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Early Life and High School Football
Arland Bruce grew up in Olathe, Kansas. He went to Olathe North High School. There, he was a star player in football. As a senior, he was named the Kansas State Player of the Year. He ran for an amazing 1,696 yards that year. By the end of his high school career, Bruce had rushed for over 3,000 yards. He also scored 50 touchdowns.
College Football Journey
After high school, Bruce played football at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. In his first year, he was named a First-team All-American. He rushed for over 1,000 yards. In his second year, he ran for 997 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was named a Second-team All-American.
Later, Bruce transferred to the University of Minnesota. In his senior year, he helped his team achieve a great 8–3 record. They even earned a spot in the Sun Bowl, a big college football game.
Professional Football Career
Starting in the NFL
On April 19, 2000, Arland Bruce signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL. He was later part of the team's practice squad. This is where players train with the team but aren't usually on the main game-day roster.
Playing in the CFL with Winnipeg
On May 1, 2001, Bruce moved to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL. This was his first chance to play a lot in professional games. He played in all 18 regular season games. In his first year, he had 818 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. His team made it to the Grey Cup championship. However, they lost to the Calgary Stampeders.
In 2002, Bruce had an even better season. He gained over 1,000 receiving yards, with 1,062 yards and 12 touchdowns in 17 games.
Another Shot at the NFL
In 2003, Bruce decided to try the NFL again. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers. He mostly played on special teams for them. Special teams are units that play during kickoffs, punts, and field goals. He left the 49ers in August 2004.
Becoming a Star with Toronto
In 2004, Bruce returned to the CFL. He joined the Toronto Argonauts in September. He played in the last seven games of the season. He had 247 receiving yards and one touchdown. Besides being a receiver, Bruce also returned kicks. He returned two kicks for touchdowns that season.
In the East Division final, Bruce caught 12 passes for 101 yards. He also returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. This helped the Argonauts reach the Grey Cup championship. In the Grey Cup game, the opposing BC Lions often punted the ball out of bounds. This was to stop Bruce and his teammate Bashir Levingston from returning kicks for touchdowns. Bruce also caught 5 passes for 79 yards. The Argonauts won the Grey Cup that year!
In 2005, Bruce became the Argonauts' top receiver. He had 1,205 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He was also named an East division all-star for the first time. This showed he was one of the best players in his division.
In 2008, Bruce celebrated a touchdown by putting on a Spider-Man mask. The CFL fined him for this. In 2009, he got into trouble again for another touchdown celebration. He took off his helmet, jersey, and shoulder pads. He said it was a tribute to a famous pop star. The Argonauts supported the fine and also disciplined him. Bruce apologized to his teammates.
Moving to Hamilton
On July 29, 2009, Bruce was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. This happened after a disagreement with his coach.
In 2010, Bruce had another great season with Hamilton. He caught 86 passes for 1,303 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Winning Another Grey Cup with BC
On August 3, 2011, Bruce was traded to the BC Lions. He had a very good season with them. He caught 49 passes for 755 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games. In the 99th Grey Cup game, he had 73 receiving yards and a touchdown. He won his second championship with the Lions! He signed a new contract with them after that season. However, on January 18, 2013, the BC Lions released him.
Finishing His Career in Montreal
On January 21, 2013, Bruce signed with the Montreal Alouettes. He had a good season in 2013. He caught 64 passes, his most since 2010. He gained 851 yards and scored 5 touchdowns. Bruce was released by the Alouettes in February 2014. This was partly because of his high salary.
CFL Statistics
| Receiving | Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
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| Year | Team | Games | No. | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | Games | No. | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | ||
| 2001 | WPG | 18 | 48 | 818 | 17.0 | 62 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 122 | 17.4 | 38 | 1 | ||
| 2002 | WPG | 18 | 67 | 1,062 | 15.9 | 55 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 79 | 26.3 | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2004 | TOR | 7 | 16 | 247 | 15.4 | 34 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 228 | 10.4 | 25 | 2 | ||
| 2005 | TOR | 16 | 67 | 1,205 | 18.0 | 89 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2006 | TOR | 18 | 77 | 1,370 | 17.8 | 94 | 11 | 2 | 10 | 186 | 18.6 | 77 | 2 | ||
| 2007 | TOR | 14 | 61 | 839 | 13.8 | 49 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 131 | 32.8 | 90 | 0 | ||
| 2008 | TOR | 18 | 92 | 1,210 | 13.2 | 51 | 9 | Team did not qualify | |||||||
| 2009 | TOR | 3 | 14 | 199 | 14.2 | 38 | 1 | ||||||||
| 2009 | HAM | 14 | 74 | 1,043 | 14.1 | 49 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 80 | 13.3 | 36 | 0 | ||
| 2010 | HAM | 16 | 86 | 1,303 | 15.2 | 58 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 76 | 10.9 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2011 | HAM | 4 | 9 | 104 | 11.6 | 33 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2011 | BC | 12 | 49 | 755 | 15.4 | 100 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 155 | 17.2 | 43 | 1 | ||
| 2012 | BC | 18 | 43 | 603 | 14.0 | 55 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 56 | 9.3 | 19 | 0 | ||
| 2013 | MTL | 17 | 64 | 851 | 13.3 | 86 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 13 | 15 | 0 | ||
| CFL totals | 241 | 767 | 11,609 | 15.1 | 100 | 94 | 17 | 78 | 1,156 | 14.8 | 90 | 6 | |||
Family Life
Arland Bruce III's parents are Yolanda Bruce and Arland Richard Bruce Jr. He was married to Linda Bruce. They have three sons named Arland Bruce IV, Aiden Bruce, and Akobi Bruce. He also has two sisters, Denise and Kama, and one brother, Bryson. Arland Bruce is also the cousin of Isaac Bruce, who was a famous wide receiver in the NFL.
