Rock Hill’s Tori Gurley thriving in Canadian football

After spending parts of four seasons with eight NFL teams, Tori Gurley was at a professional football career crossroads.

A conversation with former Rock Hill High teammate Jonathan Hefney, already an established Canadian Football League standout, prompted Gurley to consider playing north of the border.

In the land that spells “offence” and “defence” with C’s, where receivers getting a running start before the snap is called a “waggle,” and the field goal posts are planted at the front of the end zone, Gurley has thrived.

“I’m so appreciative of being here in Toronto where I don’t want to focus on anything else,” he said last week.

Gurley left the University of South Carolina a year early to declare for the NFL draft in 2011, then bounced around the league after going undrafted. He played in three NFL games with the Cleveland Browns in 2013, catching one pass for 15 yards against the Miami Dolphins. Gurley, whose surname was formerly Childers until he legally changed it to honor his late father, spent 2014 on the Buffalo Bills’ injured reserve list after tearing his labrum during training camp.

Last spring, Gurley had NFL teams interested and was staying in shape. He was training and helping coach at Ridge View High School with the Blazers’ head coach Perry Parks, testing out Parks’ newly developed speed training program. Gurley said he found himself getting better every day.

After talking with Hefney and other friends playing in the CFL, Gurley decided to test fate in Canada, and teams began to queue up for the big receiver’s services. The Edmonton Eskimos were initially interested but the Toronto deal came together quickly and was a better fit in Gurley’s estimation. The Argos, perennial contenders for the CFL’s Super Bowl, known as the Grey Cup, run an offense very similar to the one Gurley played in as a rookie for Green Bay.

Toronto is a two-hour flight away from Charlotte, making it easy to get home, another selling point.

“I never looked back,” he said.

Gurley only played in the third and fourth quarters of his first preseason game with Toronto, but it was enough time for him to grab seven passes for 188 yards and a touchdown. Gurley caught touchdown passes in the first three regular season games and had six in his first eight contests. He hasn’t gone more than two games straight without hauling in a TD, and a CFL blog highlighted a huge block he laid against Ottawa that seemed to spark the Argos to a win following a lethargic first half.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound 27-year old leads the league in scoring with 10 touchdowns, all receptions. He has 57 catches for 789 yards, an average of 13.8 yards per catch.

“I’m letting the world know that I can play ball,” said Gurley. “There are things as athletes that are out of our hands. There is so much that goes into running a professional organization that it’s not always the best players playing. Different things happen. But we’ve just got to sit and wait our turn and be patient.”

The little intricacies of Canadian football have played to Gurley’s strengths. The field is 60 yards wide and he’s taken advantage of the open tundra.

“With the field being as big as it is, I was able really to show how smart I am as a football player by understanding spacing,” said Gurley, who has lost about 15 pound from his NFL playing weight with all of the extra running before and after the snap. “That’s how I’m able to get open.”

Gurley has formed what Canadian media is calling “The Big Three” with fellow pass-catchers Kevin Elliott and Vidal Hazelton. The trio’s success is helping grab headlines and attention, and Gurley is loving life in one of the biggest cities in North America.

“It’s beautiful,” he said, “truly beautiful. I love being up here. The culture is great, the fans love their sport. There’s always something to do here, so it’s been a lot of fun.”

The Grey Cup is about a month away, and with it, the conclusion of the 2015 CFL season. What then for Gurley?

“That’s something my agent and I haven’t discussed,” he said, “because my focus is winning the Grey Cup. But there’s lots of NFL interest as well as other CFL teams that would want me.”

CFL players can get picked up by the NFL after the Canadian season is over. But Gurley’s experience in Toronto has made a positive impression in every possible way.

“I’m not a person that believes in jumping ship; I’m just taking it one step at a time. When the season is over that’s when I’ll make a decision. Until then, my focus is on winning the Grey Cup championship for the Argonauts.”

Still, the lingering itch of the NFL remains. Asked if the catch he made against the Dolphins in 2013, an innocuous 15-yard gain, would be his last, he said, “Nah. I know I have a lot more in the tank to give.”

This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Rock Hill’s Tori Gurley thriving in Canadian football."