Geroy Simon facts for kids
Simon with the Elks in 2023
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| Edmonton Elks | |||||||||
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| Position: | General manager | ||||||||
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| Born: | 11 September 1975 Johnstown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 198 lb (90 kg) | ||||||||
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| College: | Maryland | ||||||||
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Canadian Football Hall of Fame
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Geroy Simon (born 11 September 1975) is a famous former professional Canadian football player. He was known as a slotback, a type of receiver, and played for 15 seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Twelve of those seasons were with the BC Lions.
Geroy Simon won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award in 2006. He also won three Grey Cup championships, which is like winning the Super Bowl in Canadian football. He won with the BC Lions in 2006 and 2011, and with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2013. By 2013, Geroy Simon had set a CFL record for the most career receiving yards with 16,352 yards. He was also second in total catches with 1,029 and third in touchdown catches with 103. In 2017, Geroy Simon was honored by being inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and College Football
Before playing professional football, Geroy Simon was a talented athlete. He was good at basketball, baseball, and track. However, he loved football after watching the legendary player Walter Payton.
Geroy Simon went to the University of Maryland. He played for the Maryland Terrapins football team. He became one of their best receivers ever. He finished second in the school's history for total catches (185) and receiving yards (2,059). He also caught 10 touchdown passes during his college career. His best year was as a sophomore, when he set a record in his conference with 77 catches for 891 yards and 5 touchdowns. He even returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown that season!
Amazing CFL Career
Geroy Simon had a long and successful career in the CFL. He played for several teams and set many records.
Playing for the Blue Bombers
Geroy Simon spent some time with NFL teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers before joining the CFL. He played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1999 and 2000. In 2000, he played in all 18 regular season games. He caught 51 passes for 725 yards and 7 touchdowns, which were his best numbers at the time.
Becoming a BC Lions Legend
In 2001, Geroy Simon joined the BC Lions. This is where he became a true football star.
- 2002: He led the Lions with 50 catches for 754 yards in his first full season as a starter. He even threw a 71-yard touchdown pass!
- 2003: Geroy had his first season with over 1,000 receiving yards, getting 1,687 yards. He was named a Western and CFL All-Star for the first time.
- 2004: He caught 103 passes, becoming only the third Lions player to catch 100 passes in a season. He also broke the team record for single-season receiving yards with 1,750.
- 2005: Geroy continued to lead the Lions in receiving. He set a team playoff record with a 90-yard touchdown catch.
- 2006: This was a huge year for Geroy Simon! He led the CFL in receiving yards (1,856), catches (105), and touchdowns (15). He broke his own team record for receiving yards. He was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player. He also helped the BC Lions win the 2006 Grey Cup.
- 2007: After a slow start, he finished strong with 859 yards and six touchdowns in the last eight games.
- 2008: Geroy became the BC Lions' all-time leader in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He ended the season with 10,262 career receiving yards.
- 2009-2011: He continued his amazing streak, getting over 1,000 receiving yards for eight straight seasons. In 2011, he became the Lions' all-time touchdown leader. He also helped the Lions win his second Grey Cup championship in 2011.
- 2012: Geroy Simon made history by becoming the CFL's all-time career leader in receiving yards. This happened in a game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Winning with the Roughriders
In 2013, Geroy Simon was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Even though he missed some games due to injury, he continued to break records.
- On 17 August 2013, he became the third player in CFL history to have 1,000 career catches.
- One week later, he became the first CFL player to reach 16,000 receiving yards.
- Later that season, he became the CFL's all-time leader in total receptions.
- He finished his playing career on a high note, catching two touchdown passes in the 101st Grey Cup. This helped the Roughriders win their fourth Grey Cup championship!
Geroy Simon announced his retirement from professional football on May 31, 2014.
Geroy's Football Stats
Here are some of Geroy Simon's career statistics:
| Receiving | Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
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| Year | Team | Games | No. | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | Games | No. | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | ||
| 1999 | WPG | 10 | 34 | 306 | 9.0 | 25 | 0 | Team did not qualify | |||||||
| 2000 | WPG | 17 | 51 | 725 | 14.2 | 80 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 54 | 13.5 | 31 | 1 | ||
| 2001 | BC | 6 | 14 | 182 | 13.0 | 33 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 56 | 11.2 | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2002 | BC | 17 | 50 | 754 | 15.1 | 42 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 88 | 17.6 | 31 | 0 | ||
| 2003 | BC | 18 | 94 | 1687 | 17.9 | 103 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2004 | BC | 18 | 103 | 1750 | 17.0 | 89 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 73 | 9.1 | 18 | 0 | ||
| 2005 | BC | 18 | 89 | 1322 | 14.9 | 83 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 112 | 37.3 | 90 | 1 | ||
| 2006 | BC | 18 | 105 | 1856 | 17.7 | 92 | 15 | 2 | 8 | 75 | 9.4 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2007 | BC | 18 | 72 | 1308 | 18.2 | 96 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 50 | 10.0 | 18 | 1 | ||
| 2008 | BC | 16 | 82 | 1418 | 17.3 | 79 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 179 | 19.9 | 46 | 1 | ||
| 2009 | BC | 18 | 79 | 1239 | 15.7 | 62 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 141 | 15.7 | 48 | 0 | ||
| 2010 | BC | 18 | 78 | 1190 | 15.3 | 98 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 45 | 11.3 | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2011 | BC | 18 | 84 | 1350 | 16.1 | 63 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 185 | 18.5 | 53 | 1 | ||
| 2012 | BC | 13 | 54 | 700 | 12.9 | 56 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 56 | 9.3 | 56 | 0 | ||
| 2013 | SSK | 15 | 40 | 565 | 14.1 | 45 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 103 | 17.2 | 42 | 2 | ||
| WPG totals | 27 | 85 | 1,031 | 12.1 | 80 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 54 | 13.5 | 31 | 1 | |||
| BC totals | 196 | 904 | 14,756 | 16.3 | 103 | 93 | 17 | 75 | 1,071 | 14.3 | 90 | 4 | |||
| SSK totals | 15 | 40 | 565 | 14.1 | 45 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 103 | 17.2 | 42 | 2 | |||
| CFL totals | 238 | 1,029 | 16,352 | 15.9 | 103 | 103 | 22 | 85 | 1,228 | 14.4 | 90 | 7 | |||
Life Off the Field
Geroy Simon was a talented basketball player when he was young. He also enjoyed playing baseball and running track. He decided to focus on football after being inspired by Walter Payton. In his free time, Geroy enjoys listening to music, watching sports news, and playing pool. He also coaches his son's minor football team, sharing his love for the sport. Geroy lives in Edmonton during the football season and spends the offseason in Arizona with his fianceé.
His oldest son, Gervon, followed in his footsteps. Gervon was the starting quarterback at Greater Johnstown High School, Geroy's old school. He became the all-time passing yards leader there.
After Playing: A New Role
After retiring from playing in 2013, Geroy Simon stayed involved with football. He worked in the front office for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. In 2015, he returned to the BC Lions. There, he worked as the Director for Global Scouting and a US Regional Scout.
On December 28, 2021, he became the assistant general manager for the Edmonton Elks. In July 2024, he was named the team's interim general manager. This means he temporarily took over the top management role.
Awards and Lasting Impact
Geroy Simon's amazing career has been recognized in many ways. In 2012, to celebrate the 100th Grey Cup, Canada Post featured his image on special postage stamps. His picture was also used on posters and other materials to promote the Grey Cup game. This shows how important he was to Canadian football history.
