Simoni Lawrence (born February 1, 1989) is an American former professional gridiron football linebacker who played primarily for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a three-time winner of the James P. McCaffrey Trophy, a three-time CFL All-Star, and a five-time CFL Divisional All-Star. He is the Tiger-Cats' franchise leader in total tackles (734) and defensive tackles (727) and holds the CFL record for most defensive tackles in a single game (17).
 Lawrence with the Tiger-Cats in 2023 | |
| Born: | February 1, 1989 Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | Retired |
| CFL status | American |
| Position(s) | Linebacker |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 231 lb (105 kg) |
| College | Minnesota |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2010 | St. Louis Rams |
| 2010 | Hartford Colonials |
| 2010–2011 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers* |
| 2011 | Las Vegas Locomotives |
| 2012 | Edmonton Eskimos |
| 2013 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| 2014 | Minnesota Vikings* |
| 2014–2023 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| *Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| CFL All-Star | 2015, 2019, 2021 |
| CFL East All-Star | 2014–2016, 2019, 2021 |
| Career stats | |
| Games played | 169 |
| Total tackles | 760 |
| Sacks | 35 |
| Interceptions | 15 |
| Forced fumbles | 13 |
College career
editLawrence played college football at Minnesota.
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+3⁄8 in (1.84 m) |
232 lb (105 kg) |
33 in (0.84 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.55 s | 1.60 s | 2.66 s | 4.35 s | 6.88 s | 40.0 in (1.02 m) |
10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) |
21 reps | |
| Sources:[1][2] | ||||||||||||
St. Louis Rams
editLawrence was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent on April 26, 2010, but was released one month later.
Hartford Colonials/Philadelphia Eagles
editLawrence was then drafted by the Hartford Colonials 22nd overall in the 2010 UFL Draft on June 2, 2010, but signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on June 8. He was part of the Eagles' final cuts on August 28 and joined the Colonials instead, playing in eight games for the team.
Chicago Bears
editAfter the conclusion of the 2010 UFL season, he signed with the Chicago Bears on December 14, 2010 and spent three weeks on the team's practice roster.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
editHe then joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 30, 2010 and participated in the team's training camp for the 2011 season. However, he was released on September 3, 2011.[3]
Las Vegas Locomotives
editLawrence played in the UFL for the Las Vegas Locomotives in 2011.[4]
Edmonton Eskimos
editLawrence signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League on January 10, 2012, playing in 15 games and starting one.[5] Over the course of the season Lawrence contributed 15 tackles, 11 special teams tackles and one fumble recovery.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
editDuring the following off-season, he was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with Greg Wojt and Jeremiah Masoli for Nathan Kanya and the rights to Carson Rockhill on February 5, 2013.[6] In his first season with the Ti-Cats Lawrence made an immediate impact, amassing 53 tackles, three special teams tackles, one quarterback sack, and three interceptions.
Minnesota Vikings
editOn February 10, 2014, Lawrence signed with the Minnesota Vikings.[7] He was released on May 13, 2014.[8]
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (II)
editAs a free-agent Lawrence signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, agreeing to a three-year contract on June 1, 2014. In 2014, Lawrence played in 16 of the 18 regular season games, and both playoff games en route to the team's second consecutive trip to the Grey Cup (the Ti-Cats lost both championship appearances). He led the team in tackles in that season, with 78; while adding 3 sacks, 2 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. Lawrence continued his stellar play into the 2015 season, accumulating 78 tackles, 5 sacks and 2 interceptions. His performance on the field was recognized when he was named a CFL All-Star. In his fourth season with the Ti-Cats Lawrence set a career-high with 89 tackles, while also contributing 4 sacks and 1 interception for a touchdown. On January 11, 2017 Lawrence and the Ti-Cats agreed to a two-year contract extension.[9]
On February 11, 2019, Lawrence signed a two-year extension with the Tiger-Cats.[10] Lawrence was suspended for two games by the CFL for his hit to the head of Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Zach Collaros in his team's 2019 season opener.[11] During Week 14, Lawrence was fined by the CFL for unnecessary roughness, when he twisted Terry Williams' ankle. In Week 15, Lawrence was fined the maximum amount under the CBA for a late hit to the head of Eskimos quarterback Logan Kilgore.[12] On September 30, 2019, Lawrence set a new CFL record for defensive tacles in a single game with 17 made, surpassing Reggie Hunt's previous record of 16.[13] For the 2019 season, he played in 15 regular season games and led the league in defensive tackles with a career-high 98, to go along with three interceptions and four quarterback sacks.[14] For his dominant season, he was named the East Division's Most Outstanding Defensive Player and a CFL All-Star.[14][15]
Lawrence did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season. On January 19, 2021, it was announced that Lawrence had signed a contract extension with the Tiger-Cats.[16] In a shortened 2021 season, he played in all 14 regular season games where he recorded 73 defensive tackles, four sacks, and three interceptions.[17] He was then named a CFL All-Star and was named the East Division's Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the third time in his career.[18] In the 108th Grey Cup, played in Hamilton, Lawrence had six defensive tackles, but the Tiger-Cats lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.[19]
In 2022, Lawrence sat out half the season due to injury, playing in just nine games where he recorded 41 defensive tackles.[17] In the 2023 season, he played in all 18 regular season games where he had 84 defensive tackles, five sacks, one interception, and three forced fumbles.[17] After becoming a free agent on February 13, 2024, Lawrence announced his retirement on February 15, 2024.[20][21]
References
edit- ^ "Simoni Lawrence Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "2010 NFL Draft Scout Simoni Lawrence College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "Buccaneers , Reduce roster to NFL limit of 53 players". kffl.com. September 3, 2011. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- ^ Simoni Lawrence bio Archived 2013-09-27 at archive.today
- ^ Eskimos sign linebacker and wide receiver
- ^ Esks and Ticats complete five-player deal
- ^ Matthew Scianitti [@TSNScianitti] (February 10, 2014). "Simoni Lawrence will sign with the Minnesota Vikings, according to a #CFL source #Ticats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Vikings Officially Sign 15 College Free Agents, Waive 4 Veterans". Vikings.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ "Tiger-Cats sign LB Lawrence to extension - Article - TSN". TSN. January 11, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ "Tiger-Cats re-sign linebacker Lawrence to a two-year contract". Hamilton Tiger-Cats. February 11, 2019.
- ^ TSN ca Staff (June 17, 2019). "Hamilton Tiger-Cats LB Simoni Lawrence suspended two games for hit on Riders QB Zach Collaros - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
- ^ TSN ca Staff (September 25, 2019). "Hamilton Tiger-Cats' LB Simoni Lawrence fined for hit on Edmonton Eskimos' QB Logan Kilgore - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ "Simoni Lawrence sets new CFL record for tackles in a game". Canadian Football League. September 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "Banks, Lawrence, Van Zeyl, Williams, Steinauer up for 2019 CFL Awards". Hamilton Tiger-Cats. November 7, 2019.
- ^ "Nine Tiger-Cats named 2019 CFL All-Stars". Hamilton Tiger-Cats. November 27, 2019.
- ^ "Staying in the Hammer: Lawrence, Ticats agree to extension". Canadian Football League. January 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Simoni Lawrence". Canadian Football League. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ "Stars aligned: 2021 CFL All-Stars announced". Canadian Football League. December 15, 2021.
- ^ "Play-by-Play, 108th Grey Cup". Canadian Football League. December 12, 2021.
- ^ "Official 2024 Free Agent Tracker". Canadian Football League. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ "All-time great linebacker Simoni Lawrence announces retirement". Hamilton Tiger-Cats. February 15, 2024.
External links
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