Grover Covington
Encyclopedia
Grover Covington is a former Canadian Football League
defensive end
for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
and member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
.
, an NCAA Division II school in Charlotte, North Carolina
.
. However a pre-season trade that year sent him to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, where he played his entire career. Covington was a seven-time CFL All-Star and often often led the league in quarterback sack
s. He won the Schenley Award for Most Outstanding Defensive Player once and also lead the Tiger-Cats to a Grey Cup
victory in 1986. He finished his career with 157 sacks, a CFL record. In 1995 Covington was inducted along with former teammate Chet Grimsley
into the Johnson C. Smith University Sports Hall of Fame
. (Grimsley's 2011 book The White Golden Bull: How Faith in God Transcended Racial Barriers includes a chapter on the relationship between the author, a white student at the historically black university
, and Covington.) Covington was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
in 2000 and, in November 2006, was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players
(#28) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN
.
with wife Natasha and three children. In addition he serves as a football consultant and motivational speaker. Covington's son Christian has been recruited by several NCAA Division I schools to play football in the US.
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....
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
and member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
Canadian Football Hall of Fame
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
.
Personal life
Grover Covington didn't begin playing football until his junior year of high school, but was good enough to earn a scholarship to Johnson C. Smith UniversityJohnson C. Smith University
Johnson C. Smith University is a private, co-ed, four-year liberal arts institution of higher learning located in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. JCSU is also a historically black college...
, an NCAA Division II school in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
.
Professional career
Grover Covingtons career began in 1981 as a free agent signing by the Montreal AlouettesMontreal 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...
. However a pre-season trade that year sent him to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, where he played his entire career. Covington was a seven-time CFL All-Star and often often led the league in quarterback sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s. He won the Schenley Award for Most Outstanding Defensive Player once and also lead the Tiger-Cats to a 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...
victory in 1986. He finished his career with 157 sacks, a CFL record. In 1995 Covington was inducted along with former teammate Chet Grimsley
Chet Grimsley
Chet L. Grimsley at Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta Georgia is notably the first White American Student Athlete from the C.I.A.A. Chet Grimsley pledged, and subsequently became a member of Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship from Johnson C. Smith University , a historically black university . ...
into the Johnson C. Smith University Sports Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
. (Grimsley's 2011 book The White Golden Bull: How Faith in God Transcended Racial Barriers includes a chapter on the relationship between the author, a white student at the historically black university
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
, and Covington.) Covington was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
Canadian Football Hall of Fame
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
in 2000 and, in November 2006, was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players
TSN Top 50 CFL Players
The TSN Top 50 CFL Players was a list of the greatest fifty Canadian Football League players, as selected by a panel of sixty former CFL players, then-current and former coaches, executives, and media members in 2006. The panel was assembled by sports television network TSN in partnership with the...
(#28) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
.
Life after retirement
Covington lives in Surrey, British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
with wife Natasha and three children. In addition he serves as a football consultant and motivational speaker. Covington's son Christian has been recruited by several NCAA Division I schools to play football in the US.