John Haggerty (Canadian football)
| No. 29 Toronto Argonauts | |
 Haggerty with the Toronto Argonauts in 2023 | |
| Born: | 6 February 1995 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | Active |
| CFL status | Global |
| Position(s) | Punter |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) |
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| College | Western Kentucky |
| CFL draft | 2022G, round: 1, pick: 4 |
| Drafted by | Toronto Argonauts |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2022–present | Toronto Argonauts |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| CFL East All-Star | 2022, 2024 |
| Career stats | |
| |
John Haggerty III (born 6 February 1995) is an Australian professional gridiron football punter for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a two-time Grey Cup champion after winning with the Argonauts in 2022 and 2024.
Early life
[edit]Haggerty grew up in Sydney, Australia, where he played rugby, Australian rules football, and soccer.[1] His biggest inspiration in sports was Kobe Bryant and he played football with Michael Dickson.[1]
College career
[edit]After attending Prokick Australia, a program designed to train Australian athletes in gridiron football, Haggerty was recruited to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers program where he played college football from 2019 to 2021.[2] He set single-season program records for punting average in each of his three years, with 45.7 yards in 2020, 45.9 yards in 2019, and 48.7 yards in 2021.[2]
Professional career
[edit]Haggerty was drafted in the first round, fourth overall by the Toronto Argonauts in the 2022 CFL Global Draft and signed with the team on 10 May 2022.[3] Following 2022 training camp, he was named the team's punter, allowing Boris Bede to focus on placekicking.[4] He played in his first career professional game on 16 June 2022, against the Montreal Alouettes, where he had four punts for a 51.2-yard average and scored two singles in the one-point victory.[5] Haggerty played in 17 regular season games where he had 107 punts for a 48.2-yard average, 36.9 yards net, and five singles.[6] He was named a CFL East All-Star at the end of the regular season.[7] He also played in his first Grey Cup game where he had six punts for a 49.2-yard average as the Argonauts defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24–23 in the 109th Grey Cup and Haggerty won his first championship.[6][8]
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In 2023, Haggerty played in 12 games while sitting out six due to injury.[4][9] He led the league in punting average with 48.0 yards per punt and had three singles.[4] He also played in the team's East Final loss to the Montreal Alouettes.
In the 2024 season, Haggerty played in all 18 regular season games and had 88 punts for a 50.3-yard average which ranked as the third-highest single season punting average of all-time.[10] However, it was the second-highest average in that season as Jake Julien set the all-time record that year.[10] Nonetheless, Haggerty was named to the East Division All-CFL team for the second time in his career.[11] He also played in all three post-season games, including the 111th Grey Cup where he had five punts for a 54.8-yard average and one single in the Argonauts' 41–24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.[12] He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on 11 February 2025.[13][14] However, he eventually re-signed with the Argonauts on 4 April 2025.[15]
Personal life
[edit]Haggerty and his wife, Spenser, have one son, Lincoln John Haggerty, who was born in July 2021.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "A busy man: WKU's punter from down under juggles family and football". College Heights Herald. 30 August 2021.
- ^ a b "John Haggerty". Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- ^ "Argos Sign eleven from 2022 CFL Draft class". Toronto Argonauts. 10 May 2022.
- ^ a b c "John Haggerty". Toronto Argonauts. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- ^ "Argos outlast Als in season opener". Toronto Argonauts. 16 June 2022.
- ^ a b "2023 CFL Guide Book" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ "Updated List of 2022 CFL Division All-Stars". Canadian Football League. 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Play-by-Play, 109th Grey Cup". Canadian Football League. 20 November 2022.
- ^ "2024 CFL Guide" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ a b "2024 CFL statistics" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
- ^ "Harris and Mitchell headline 2024 Divisional All-CFL squads". Canadian Football League. 30 October 2024.
- ^ "Play-by-Play, 111th Grey Cup". Canadian Football League. 17 November 2024.
- ^ "Transactions – Football Player Trades and Signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ "Official 2025 Free Agent Tracker". Canadian Football League. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ "Argonauts Re-Sign Global Punter John Haggerty". Toronto Argonauts. 4 April 2025.
External links
[edit]- Toronto Argonauts bio
Media related to John Haggerty (Canadian football) at Wikimedia Commons
