Duane Forde facts for kids

Duane Curtis Forde, born on May 8, 1969, is a well-known Canadian television broadcaster. He works for TSN, which is a big sports channel in Canada. Before becoming a broadcaster, Duane was a professional football player in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Duane Forde's Career

College Football Days

Duane Forde was born in Toronto, Canada. He went to the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. While there, he studied Physical Education.

From 1987 to 1990, Duane played college football for the Western Ontario Mustangs. His team was very strong during those years. They only lost one regular season game in total. In 1989, the Mustangs won the Vanier Cup, which is like the championship for Canadian college football. Duane was also a co-captain of that winning team. He was chosen as the Mustangs' Most Valuable Player twice.

Playing in the CFL

Duane Forde played professional football for twelve seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played for several teams, including the Calgary Stampeders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Argonauts, and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Duane was a team captain for the Calgary Stampeders for four years. He was also known for his amazing streak of playing in 150 games in a row. This included both regular season and playoff games over eight seasons. His teams reached the Grey Cup championship game five times. They won the Grey Cup twice, in 1992 and 1998.

Becoming a Broadcaster

After his playing career, Duane Forde joined TSN in 2008. He became a game analyst for their CFL on TSN broadcasts. This means he helps explain the games to viewers. He often works with play-by-play announcers like Rod Black and Rod Smith.

Duane also helped cover the 2008 CFL Draft for TSN.ca. He writes a weekly column for TSN's website and often appears on Sportscentre, a popular sports news show. Before joining TSN, he was a commentator for other sports networks, like The Score and Rogers Sportsnet. Many people in the media call him the "Mel Kiper Jr. of the CFL" because he is so good at predicting which college players will do well in the CFL.

Since 2010, Duane Forde has also organized the National Invitational Combine. This event happens around the same time as the CFL's own evaluation camp. It helps young football players show off their skills to CFL teams.

Duane Forde is a member of the Mississauga Sports Hall of Fame, which honors great athletes from his hometown area.

Personal Life

Duane Forde is married to Sheri Forde, who is also a sports journalist.