By Perry Lefko
CFL.ca
He may be majoring in architecture, but Hillard Thaddeus (Tad) Crawford has immediate designs on a career in professional football.
Crawford, who is finishing up his Bachelor of Architecture at Columbia University in New York, is eligible for this year’s Canadian draft on May 2 and is expected to selected in the first round. The free safety posted some impressive numbers at the TransGlobe Evaluation Camp, ranking second overall in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.53 seconds and first overall in the 20-yard short shuttle with a time of 4.52 seconds.
The number of Ivy League prospects who graduate to the professional football level is quite small because it’s known more as an academic conference than an athletic factory.
“I’m really in no rush to get into my (architecture) career that I’m going to have for the rest of my life,” Crawford said. “Athletics is obviously something I enjoy. I’ve played it ever since I was small, so if I can continue my football career at a professional level – I’m getting paid for it and still doing something I love – that’s an option you can’t give up just because you want to make a couple extra bucks. In the CFL, it’s a professional sport; you’re getting paid a good amount of money to play a sport that’s fun. To pass that up to go into more schooling or directly into a career doesn’t appeal to me right now.”
Crawford, who turned 23 on April 16, enjoyed personal success playing football at Columbia even though the school struggled. Last year in the first season with a new coaching staff, the football program had a 5-5 record, the first non-losing season in 10 years. Coincidentally, Crawford became the first Columbia player to record back-to-back seasons with 100 or more tackles in 10 years. He posted 101 last year, only 10 less than his total of 111 in 2005 when he led the Ivy League.
“I came (to Columbia) and because I was Canadian there were these prejudices, I guess, that American football players have towards you because they don’t think you’re up to their standards of football,” Crawford said. “Right away when I first got here I had to work extra hard just to get on special teams and work extra hard to get in the starting rotation. I think that work ethic helped me perfect my game to a level where I was able to excel in this League for the last couple of years. I’ve had over 100 tackles in consecutive years under two completely different defensive styles, so I think that’s a testament to my playing ability.”
Listed at 6-foot-3, 194 pounds, Crawford said his quickness combined with his size will enable him to play as a defensive back or safety.
“If I had the ability to play there and I could keep my size, I think that would make me a stronger asset back there,” he said. “That’s where I’ve played, that’s where I’m comfortable and that’s where I’d like to play, but if a team takes me and wants me to beef up and move me inside somewhere or down in the box a little more, I could do that, too. I’ve shown I can tackle in the box as well, so I have no problem doing that.
“I think going into the (Evaluation Camp), a lot of teams looking at my stats thought I was going to be a physical player who maybe didn’t have the speed to be a coverage type of guy, then I ran those times (in the speed drills) and did fairly well in the one-on-one drills. I think they see me as somebody who can kind of do a little bit of both and can fit anywhere in their kinds of scheme. I can excel at whatever they ask me to do.”
In the last two and a half seasons, Crawford added punt-return and kickoff-return duties to his repertoire.
“For me, that was the fun part of the game,” he said. “That just helps my game overall as a safety where I can kind of feel people coming down on me and have an awareness of what’s going on around me.”
A Toronto native who grew up in Burlington, Crawford is part of an athletic family. His older brother Steve played as a receiver at McMaster University, his younger brother Sloan is a gymnast at the College of William & Mary, and his sister, Lachlan (Lucky) is a cheerleader at McGill University.
“We’re kind of spread all over the place and doing our own thing, but everything has really worked out for us,” he said.
Having grown up between Hamilton and Toronto, Crawford would like to play for either the Tiger-Cats or the Argos.
“I feel like both of those cities are basically my home town,” he said.
Perry Lefko is the CFL’s Director of Communications
