Paul McCallum (born January 7, 1970) is a former Canadian footballpunter and placekicker. He is a two-time Grey Cup champion, having won with the BC Lions in 2006 and 2011. He is also a six-time CFL West All-Star and a two-time CFL All-Star. He was also named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian in 2006 and won the CFL's Most Outstanding Special Teams Award in 2011. McCallum had been a member of three different CFL franchises, one XFL team, an NFL Europa team, and a Scottish third division club. At the time of his retirement, McCallum was the oldest active player in the CFL, having played in 24 seasons over the course of his career.
After a long youth soccer career in North Vancouver, Surrey, and Delta, BC, McCallum went on to play for Team BC[2] at the Canada Summer Games as well as national tournaments with the BC Provincial program U16 (1985) and U18 (1986–1987). He also suited up briefly for the Vancouver 86ers for a preseason tournament (while in Grade 12 at Surrey BC's Queen Elizabeth Sr Sec.) in Kelowna, BC, and scored for the club there. McCallum travelled to Scotland at 19 years of age to play professional soccer in the Scottish Third Division for clubs St. Mirren and Hamilton Academicals. His cousin, Brian O'Neill, was also a professional soccer player for Celtic FC, Wolfsburg, Derby County, Preston North End, Nottingham Forest, and Aberdeen FC. Upon his return from the UK, McCallum started playing for the Surrey Rams Junior Football Club of the BC Junior Football League.
Early CFL career
In 1993, after playing soccer in Scotland he returned to Canada and began playing for the Surrey Rams Junior Football Club in the BC Junior Football League. McCallum petitioned the CFL to allow Canadian Junior players to have the ability to attend their evaluation camp. He was successful and was ultimately added to the Negotiations List of the Hamilton Tiger Cats by Director of Player Personnel, Greg Mohns and subsequently signed as a free agent with the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. After being released, he had numerous short stints with the Ottawa Rough Riders, (1992–1993) during his time there he was a teammate of former NFLWashington Football ClubDexter Manley and former WWE wrestler Glenn Kulka, BC Lions (1993,1994, 2006–2014, 2016) and Saskatchewan Roughriders (1994-1995, 1996–2005, 2015).
Prior to his spell in NFL Europe (1996) with the Scottish Claymores McCallum had been playing with the Riders, upon his return to Canada he resigned with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and tore his ACL early in the into the CFL season. After recovering he returned to play for the club until 2000 at which time he left to sign with the Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL for their 2001 football season.
After the XFL folded after its inaugural season McCallum returned to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. McCallum set a CFL record for the longest field goal kicked in the CFL when he booted a wind-aided 62-yard field goal against the Edmonton Eskimos on October 27, 2001 in a 12-3 victory at Taylor Field.[5][6]
In the 2004 CFL playoffs, McCallum missed a crucial 18-yard field goal in an overtime game against the BC Lions. The Roughriders went on to lose the game, and outraged fans vandalized McCallum's northwest Regina home with eggs, dumped manure on his neighbour's property, and uttered death threats to his family. The incident made national news, and the football club and Regina's mayor Pat Fiacco both denounced the vandalism as an "isolated incident" of "hooliganism". On the comedy show This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Shaun Majumder (playing a Roughriders GM) apologized for calling McCallum "a bum who could be out-kicked by a goat missing a leg".
BC Lions (III)
On February 23, 2006, he signed a two-year contract with the BC Lions after declining to take a 30% pay-cut from the Roughriders.[5][7]
He tied the record for most field goals in a Grey Cup when he kicked six in six attempts in the 94th Grey Cup on November 19, 2006. He was awarded the Dick Suderman Trophy as the Grey Cup's most valuable Canadian for his efforts.[8]
In 2010, McCallum set a number of career marks. Continuing from the 14 consecutive field goals he made at the end of the 2009 season, McCallum connected on 10 straight to start the season, finishing just short of Dave Ridgway's CFL record of 28 straight field goals. Throughout the season he was flirting with Lui Passaglia's record for most accurate season (90.9%), and finished with a career best 88.2% completion percentage. He also finished the regular season with a career high 46 successful field goals. Because of his standout season, McCallum was named the Lions' nominee for Most Outstanding Player, the first ever kicker in Lions' history, and Most Outstanding Canadian.[9]
On October 8, 2011 at BC Place in Vancouver, Paul set the record, with 30, for the most all-time consecutive field goals made in the CFL, breaking the previous mark of 28 held by Dave Ridgway.[10] Only two seasons later, his record was broken by Calgary'sRene Paredes who connected on his 31st consecutive field goal on July 26, 2013.[11] Paul McCallum would finish the 2011 CFL season making 50 of 53 field goal attempts, for a career best 94.3% accuracy. He was recognized for his success when he was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Special Teams player for 2011.
Following up his career season with another solid season in the 2012 CFL season. He amassed 44 successful field goals in 52 attempts (84.6%). The 2012 season was McCallum's 20th year in the CFL and 7th year with the BC Lions. He is one of only 5 players to have played 20 or more years in the CFL. During the 2013 CFL season McCallum saw a reduced number of field goal attempts, only 33, of which he converted on 28.
In February 2014, McCallum signed a contract extension with the BC Lions.[12] In 2014 he had his best field goal kicking season since 2011, converting 38 of 42 attempts (90.5%). His 90.5% success rate was not only league leading, but also only his second time in his career of with a conversion percentage in the 90's. His role as a punter was heavily diminished in 2014, as he only performed 12 punts for the Lions in the season. On March 23, 2015, the Lions announced that McCallum would be returning for his 23rd season in the CFL.[13] On June 6, 2015, McCallum, age 45, was released by the Lions after refusing to retire.[14][15]
"McCallum had made 75.1 per cent of his field-goal attempts (356 of 474) through the 2005 season. Subsequently, he was 11 percentage points higher (86.3), going 366-for-424." Rob Vanstone Sports Editor Regina Leader-Post[16]
Saskatchewan Roughriders (III)
On July 1, 2015, McCallum signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.[17] He played in 14 games, making 29 of 36 field goal attempts before being deactivated for the final three games of the season in favour of Tyler Crapigna. McCallum was released on December 21, 2015.[18]
BC Lions (IV)
On March 7, 2016, McCallum signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of the BC Lions.[19][20] He remained retired for about eight months before re-signing with the BC Lions prior to the last game of the 2016 regular season.[21]
