WINNIPEG – Former Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Buck Pierce has called it quits after nine seasons in the CFL.
“It’s a tough decision,” said Pierce. “You play football your whole life and it’s not something you come to overnight.”
Pierce retires as a member of the B.C. Lions after finishing his career there last year. Pierce played the previous three seasons with the Bombers before they traded him in September back to the Lions where his career all began.
A fiery competitor, teammates called him a warrior on the field.
“I’ve always just played the game the way I thought it should be played,” said Pierce. “The way I used to watch players play. For me, it was just another day at the office.”
It was that all or nothing style of play that really enamored Pierce to his coaches and teammates.
“He’s always put his body on the line for his teammates and the organization,” said Lions’ general manager Wally Buono. “When you look at success, he’s had a lot of it but he’s also had a lot to endure when it comes to injuries.”
“He had a great run,” said Lions’ quarterback Travis Lulay. “You look back on a guy who played for 10 seasons, who showed up at a free-agent workout a decade ago and made a career of it. He played the game the right way.”
Pierce finishes with more than 15,000 passing yards and 76 touchdowns in a career littered with injuries. From countless concussions to rib and knee injuries, Pierce had trouble staying healthy but did win a Grey Cup with the Lions in 2006. Although he says he has no regrets, he sure would have liked to bring Winnipeg a CFL championship in 2011.
“I wish I could have brought a Grey Cup here,” said Pierce. “That will really be on my mind. I’ll always look back and look at that game, what I could have done better. But that’s just me. I’m content with the way I played the game. The way I left everything out there on the field and at the end of the day, I’m excited about moving on.”
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