Stamps re-sign LS Aaron Crawford; sign two others

CFL.ca Staff

FRIDAY — The Calgary Stampeders have re-signed long snapper Aaron Crawford, the team announced on Friday.

The Medicine Hat product returns for a second season with the Red and White after spending the first seven years of his Canadian Football League career with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Crawford has played 112 career regular-season games and has 25 special-teams tackles and one defensive stop.

“I’m excited to be back and to run it back with the same special-teams unit and coaches,” said Crawford. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to improve on what we started last year.”

Crawford was Calgary’s long snapper for all 14 regular-season contests in 2021 as well as the Western Semi-Final. He had two special-teams tackles during the season and one in the playoffs.

Crawford was selected by Toronto in the sixth round of the 2012 CFL draft and he attended training camp with the Argonauts in 2012 and with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2013. He spent time on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ practice roster in 2013 before joining the Ticats.

Prior to turning pro, Crawford played 13 games at linebacker in two seasons at Saint Mary’s. He recorded 55.5 career tackles for the Huskies including eight tackles for loss and added 3.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles and was part of Saint Mary’s Atlantic University Sport conference championship team in 2009.

In other transactions, Calgary has signed a pair of American rookies – offensive lineman Hugh Thornton and receiver Floyd Allen.

Thornton played 37 games and made 32 starts over three seasons (2013-15) for the National Football League’s Indianapolis Colts. He was selected in the third round (86th) overall by the Colts in the 2013 NFL draft.

Thornton signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 but soon after announced his retirement. He returned to the field in 2019 when he signed with the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football. Thornton attended NFL training camp with Washington in 2019.

In college, Thornton played 42 games and made 35 starts over four seasons at Illinois, seeing action at both guard and tackle. He was voted second-team all-Big Ten by the coaches following his senior season.

Allen signed with the NFL’s Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2019. Later that year, he was selected in the XFL supplemental draft by the Dallas Renegades and in 2021, he played with the Generals in The Spring League.

Prior to turning pro, Allen played nine games over two seasons at Ole Miss, seeing action on special teams and as a backup receiver for the Rebels. He had four catches for 44 yards and one kickoff return for 10 yards. Allen played his sophomore season at El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., and played on both sides of the ball. In two games, he had three catches for 40 yards as well as three tackles and a pass breakup.

Allen started his collegiate career at Bethany (West Virginia) College and dressed for six games, making six catches for 125 yards and rushing for 33 yards and one touchdown.

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