Declan Cross
| No. 38 | |
 Cross with the Argonauts in 2021 | |
| Born: | July 25, 1993 Oakville, Ontario, Canada |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | Retired |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | Fullback |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Weight | 230 lb (100 kg) |
| University | McMaster Marauders |
| High school | Holy Trinity |
| CFL draft | 2016, round: 4, pick: 27 |
| Drafted by | Toronto Argonauts |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2016–2022 | Toronto Argonauts |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career stats | |
| |
Declan Cross (born July 25, 1993) is a former professional
University career
Cross played Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) football with the McMaster Marauders from 2012 to 2015, as a Receiver/H-Back. Over four seasons while being used primarily as a blocker he recorded 34 rushes for 228 yards, 47 receptions for 469 yards and 5 touch downs. During his time playing for McMasters Football team, the Marauders won the Yates Cup in 2012 and 2014 and also appeared in the Vanier Cup in the same years. Cross was named McMaster's Most Valuable Offensive Player in 2014.
Professional career
Cross was drafted in the fourth round, 27th overall, by the
Cross played in all 18 games for a third consecutive season, and produced three rushes for 10 yards, and 30 catches for 242 yards and two touchdowns.[3] For 2019, Cross missed six games with injury, and as a receiver, was largely ignored in the scheme implemented by new offensive coordinator Jacques Chapdelaine; he had only nine catches during his 12 games, after logging at least 30 the previous two years.[3] Cross did continue to excel as a blocker, and on only two carries set a new career high for rushing yards, with 11. Furthermore, as a fourth year player, he developed into a locker room leader for the embattled team, which finished with a 4–14 record for the second consecutive year.[7] During the following off-season, on March 4, 2020, Cross signed a contract extension through to the 2023 season.[8] However, he did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season.
In a pandemic-shortened 2021 season, Cross played in all 14 regular season games where he had four receptions for 36 yards and six special teams tackles.[3] In 2022, he sat out six games due to injury and played in six regular season games where he had just two catches for 22 yards and six special teams tackles.[3] He also played in both post-season games that year, including his second Grey Cup game. While he did not record any statistics, he capped off his sixth professional season with an Argonauts' victory in the 109th Grey Cup game.[3] On December 19, 2022, Cross announced his retirement from professional football.[9] He finished his career having played in 92 regular season games where he recorded 83 receptions for 740 yards and seven touchdowns, seven carries for 28 rushing yards, and 33 special teams tackles.[3]
References
- ^ "Argos draft Declan Cross 27th overall". argonauts.ca. November 30, 2017.
- ^ "Argos sign four 2016 Draft picks". argonauts.ca. May 19, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Declan Cross". Canadian Football League. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "Timely scores lead Argos to late win over Redblacks". cfl.ca. July 24, 2017.
- ^ "Change of Course: Argos stun Stamps to win Grey Cup". cfl.ca. November 26, 2017.
- ^ "Argos extend national fullback Declan Cross". cfl.ca. December 21, 2017.
- ^ "Veteran Cross refuses to look past Argos' season finale in the Hammer". Toronto Sun. October 31, 2019.
- ^ "FB Declan Cross re-ups with Argos through 2023". cfl.ca. March 4, 2020.
- ^ "Argos FB Declan Cross announces retirement". Toronto Argonauts. Retrieved December 19, 2022.