Davis Sanchez is a former National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 and current Canadian Football League

Canadian Football League

The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....

 cornerback

Cornerback

A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...

 for the B.C. Lions.

Early years

Sanchez attended North Delta Secondary School, playing both basketball and football. He was good enough at basketball that he played one year at Butte Junior College. He started playing football in his second year of college, first for the Surrey Junior Rams and then returning to Butte, where he earned junior college All-American status. He then played college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 at the University of Oregon

University of Oregon

-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...

, but his career there was limited to six games, in part because of a broken leg.

Professional career

Sanchez was selected 6th overall in the 1999 CFL College Draft by the Montreal Alouettes

Montreal Alouettes

The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...

. He had nine interceptions

Interception (football)

An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...

 in 2000, topping the CFL. That year, he won the Lew Hayman Trophy

Lew Hayman Trophy

The Lew Hayman Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy, awarded to the outstanding Canadian player in the East Division. Each team in the East Division nominates a player, from which the winner is chosen. Either the winner of the Hayman trophy or the Dr...

 as the best Canadian in the East Division

Canadian Football League East Division

The East Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the East Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues.- Pre-1907 :...

. In 2001, he signed with the San Diego Chargers

San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

, with whom he played two seasons. He returned to the CFL in 2003 with the Calgary Stampeders

Calgary Stampeders

The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...

. In 2004, he was traded to Montreal. In 2005, he signed with the Edmonton Eskimos

Edmonton Eskimos

The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...

. On February 18, 2006, he was traded again to Montreal for Reggie Durden

Reggie Durden

Reggie Durden is a former Canadian Football League defensive back. He was born on November 11, 1976, in Houston, Texas.-College career:Reggie Durden played two seasons at Florida State University. In 1999, he shared the Most Improved Player honors at cornerback...

 and Rob Brown. This was Sanchez's third spell with the Alouttes, who he played with for four seasons.

In his career, Sanchez has played on two Grey Cup

Grey Cup

The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...

-winning teams. The first was the 2005 Edmonton Eskimos, though he was injured and did not play in the Grey Cup

93rd Grey Cup

The 93rd Grey Cup game was held on November 27, 2005, at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes, to decide the winner of the 2005 season of the Canadian Football League. The Eskimos prevailed over the Alouettes in a 38-35 overtime...

. He was able to take part in the Montreal Alouettes' 2009 Grey Cup

97th Grey Cup

The 97th Grey Cup was played on November 29, 2009, at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta, and decided the Canadian Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Montreal Alouettes came from behind to defeat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 28-27, on a 33-yard field goal by Damon Duval as time ran...

 victory, saying afterward, "I'm so excited, there's no words." Sanchez has been named to the East Division All-Star

CFL All-Star Game

The Canadian Football League played an all-star game regularly during the 1950s and 1970s and twice in the 1980s.The first game in 1955 actually precedes the establishment of the Canadian Football Council and the CFL, and was known as the Shrine Game. It was held each year from 1955 to 1958; then,...

 team on three occasions.

On February 9, 2010, Sanchez signed with his hometown team, the BC Lions

BC Lions

The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...

, after requesting his release from the Montreal Alouettes.