Recent Queen’s graduate and former fullback of the Gaels football team, Justin Gleben, has traded in his tricolour for orange and black, signing with the CFL’s BC Lions this summer.

Gaels fans might remember Gleben as the player who scored the final touchdown of the Gaels 2014-2015 season. He was among ten other graduating Queen’s players to have attended CFL training camps.

The Barrie native spent five years at Queen’s, during which he was an effective blocking-back. Gleben dressed for a total of 27 games, eight of which were during the 2015-2016 season. 

During his time as a Gael, Gleben added an impressive 112 yards on his 10 receptions throughout his career and scored a touchdown all three times he was handed the ball in the backfield.

The role of the fullback is traditionally overshadowed by their speedy counterpart — the halfback or running back — but it’s one that provides essential plays in dire situations. Fullbacks are used as a utility, blocking with the offensive line or using their entire body to punch the ball into the end zone from a short distance away.

Last season, the BC Lions had the second-worst rushing attack in the league. The Lions will therefore likely look to Gleben to play an important role in opening holes for the team’s running backs to use effectively.