| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Born | August 3, 1982 |
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 101 kg (223 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | |
| Sport | Bobsleigh |
Medal record | |
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running back |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 216 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Trinity Nelson |
| University | McMaster |
| CFL draft | 2005: 1st round, 6th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| 2005 | Seattle Seahawks* |
| 2005–2008 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| 2009 | Edmonton Eskimos |
| 2010 | Calgary Stampeders |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at CFL.ca (archive) | |
Jesse Lumsden (born August 3, 1982) is a Canadian Olympic and world champion bobsledder and a retired Canadian football player, who played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders. [1]
Lumsden is the son of former CFL fullback Neil Lumsden. Jesse attended Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario [2] and Nelson High School in Burlington, Ontario (where he led them to the Metro Bowl Title), [3] and McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography. [4] Lumsden had a standout career with the McMaster Marauders, where he won the Hec Crighton Trophy in 2004 and was invited to the East-West Shrine Game. Lumsden continues to hold several Marauders records, including most touchdowns in a season and for a career. [5]
Lumsden was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Seattle Seahawks in 2005, but was released shortly thereafter. Following his release, he had a short tenure with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In January 2006, he was signed to play for the Washington Redskins [6] and was later released only to play with the Tiger-Cats once again. In 2009, Lumsden signed with the Edmonton Eskimos, but he sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in their opening game. On May 5, 2010, Lumsden was released by the Eskimos. He signed with the Calgary Stampeders on a practice roster agreement midway through the 2010 season, and was activated in October. [7] [8]
Lumsden was timed consistently around 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash during his playing career.[ citation needed ]
Lumsden took part in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics as a member of Pierre Lueders' bobsleigh team; he was the brakeman in the two-man sled that won the Canadian National Bobsleigh championships at the Whistler Sliding Centre, March 21, 2009. It was expected that he participated in both the two-man and four-man teams in the 2009–10 world competitions leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympics. [9] On January 27, 2010 Lumsden was named to the 2010 Canadian Olympic bobsleigh team [10] where he and driver Pierre Lueders finished fifth both in the two-man and in the four-man bobsleigh events. During the Olympics, he and his four-man bobsled team flipped over during a false turn. Justin Kripps and the others walked out of the accident untouched.
Lumsden partnered with Lyndon Rush for the 2011-12 2011–12 Bobsleigh World Cup season. [11] They won their first World Cup event in the two-man event on home soil in Whistler, British Columbia in February 2012. [11] It was the first gold medal of Lumsden's career and his second medal overall. They finished 4th in the World Cup standings that season, and concluded it with a silver medal at the world championships in Lake Placid, New York. [12]
In the 2012–13 Bobsleigh World Cup season, Lumsden and Rush were on the podium three times, including two wins. They were 3rd at Winterberg, Germany, [13] and then won twice. Their first victory of the season was in La Plagne, France, [14] and the second was at Königssee, Germany. [15] Those results helped Lumsden and Rush win the 2 man overall 2012–13 Bobsleigh World Cup title. [16]
Lumsden qualified for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics as a member of the Canada 1 four-man bobsled team, and a member of the Canada 2, two-man bobsled. Lumsden finished 7th overall in the 2-man Bobsled competition, finishing 1.4 seconds behind the leader through 4 heats. [17] [18]
Lumsden competed in both the two-man event - with Nick Poloniato - and four-man event - under driver Justin Kripps - at the 2018 Winter Olympics, his third games, finishing 7th in the two-man event and 6th in the four-man event.
In June 2024 Lumsden was appointed high performance director of Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, the national governing body for bobsled and skeleton, after spending four and a half years in the business world with Neo Financial. [1]
Lumsden was inducted into the Burlington Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. [19] [20] He was put into the McMaster University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. [5]