Born: September 27, 1983 – Aumsville, OR
2017: Years as a Lion: 9th Years in CFL: 9th Status: International
Career Games: 117 Playoffs: 10 Grey Cup: 1 (2011)
Acquired:
Travis had been on the Lions’ radar for some time prior to joining the club in 2009 as he attempted to crack the lineup of the Seattle Seahawks. A smart and athletic pivot whose game is perfectly suited for the CFL, Travis attended the Lions’ free agent camp in Portland, Oregon in the spring of 2009. Soon after his impressive performance there, he was signed to a contract and made the Lions roster coming out of training camp. Since coming to the Lions, Travis has inked a couple of contract extensions including his latest in 2016 which keeps him in orange and black through 2017 campaign.
Highlights:
2016: Travis appeared in all 18 regular season games completing 22 of his 32 passing attempts for 205 yards and two touchdowns. His biggest contribution as Lions pivot came in Week 3 versus Toronto as he threw for 156 yards and a touchdown on 12 completions. Travis also saw significant game action in short-yardage situations rushing 16 times for 27 yards and six majors including two critical scores in a last-minute win over Ottawa on August 25.
During an appearance in the Western Final, Travis was good on six of nine attempts for 86 yards and a touchdown. He also had the club’s longest passing play in the playoffs, a 51-yard catch and run by Terrell Sinkfield.
2015: Travis started the first nine games of the season for the Lions before suffering a knee injury in Montreal on Sep 3/15. After spending four weeks on the injured list, Travis dressed for the five remaining regular season games including another start in Week 20. He passed for 1,953 yards and on 167 completions with 12 touchdowns on the year. His biggest performances of the season came against Saskatchewan on Jul 10/15 when he threw for 404 yards and three majors and then followed up that performance a week later with 105 yards along the ground against the ‘Riders.
2014: A challenging year for the club’s number one pivot, Travis endured a setback in training camp following off-season shoulder surgery which delayed his return to the lineup until Aug 8/14 versus Hamilton. He got his first action of the year seeing spot duty in the club’s next game at Toronto on Aug 17/14, but did not throw a pass until the Lions took on Saskatchewan at home on Aug 24/14. Following the bye-week, Travis got the start in Ottawa where he was good on 18 of 27 pass attempts for 167 yards before suffering a shoulder injury in the final five minutes of the game and missing the final eight regular season games. He returned to dress for the club’s postseason game in Montreal, but did not see action.
2013: The 2013 season was a challenging one for Travis as the veteran pivot started just 11 of the club’s 18 regular season games after suffering a shoulder injury on Sep 15 vs Montreal. He guided the Lions to a 7-4 record in his 11 starts and despite the mid-season setback, led the Lions in passing with 2,841 yards and 19 touchdown passes.
2012: Travis was the West Division All-Star quarterback for the second straight year after passing for 4,231 yards and 27 TDs in 16 starts (12-4 record). He threw for 300+ yards five times and led the club to a CFL record low of 23 turnovers. He set career-best marks with a 100.7 passer rating and 66.5 completion percentage with only 10 interceptions.
He dressed for all 18 games but did not see action in Weeks 16 and 17 due to a sore shoulder. Travis extended his TD pass streak to 26 games, the second-longest streak in CFL history which ended in the final regular season game giving him at least one TD pass in 36 of 39 games. He finished the year as the CFL’s third ranked passer despite missing two games and established back-to-back 4,000 yard seasons. Travis also led all CFL QBs with 477 yards rushing and scored 3 TDs.
2011: Travis was the dominant player in the CFL in 2011, earning Most Outstanding Player Awards for both regular season play and in the Grey Cup victory over Winnipeg. Starting all 18 games (11-7 record), he finished up as the number two passer in the CFL with 4,815 yards and tied for the lead with 32 touchdown passes. His pass efficiency rating ended up at 95.8, but over the season’s final 11 games it was a remarkable 109.2.
Travis threw for 300+ yards on six occasions, including a season-high 366 in the opener at Montreal Jun 30/11. He enjoyed 10 games with two or more touchdown passes and completed 61.6% of his attempts in the season’s final 10 games. Ranking second among pivots in rushing with 391 yards and 14 gains of 10+ yards, Travis ripped off two huge gains in 2011: 53 yards (Sep 10/11 vs Tor) and 61 yards (in the playoff win over Edmonton).
Career:
2009-2016: After eight seasons as a Lion, Travis has played a key role in some of the club’s most successful seasons since joining the club as a free agent in 2009. Most notably is the 2011 championship season in which he was the CFL Most Outstanding Player and the Most Valuable Player in the Grey Cup. He was also the league’s second-ranked passer that year with 4,815 yards which remains his career-best.
Through 2016, he has a 39-26 record in 65 career starts for the Lions and 16 games of 300+ passing yards. He appeared in his 100th game as a Lion in Week 1 of the 2016 regular season and his 17,165 career passing yards put him behind only Roy Dewalt (22,863) and Damon Allen (27,621) on the club’s all-time passing list. Travis has a pair of CFL West Division All-Star honours in 2011 and 2012 as well as an All-Canadian nod in 2011. His career-best game came on Nov 6/10 vs Hamilton when he completed 30-of-41 passes for 424 yards.
College:
Travis enjoyed a very successful four-year college career (’02-’05) at Montana State where he left with school records for career passing yards (10,724), career completions (889), passing yards in a season (3,485 in 2004) and passing yards in a game (516 in 2004). In addition to leading his team in rushing yards during his senior year with 611, he also became just the fifth quarterback in NCAA history to throw for 10,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards in a career.
Personal:
Travis and his wife, Kimberly along with their three daughters make their off-season home just across the border in Blaine, Washington. When he’s not training for the season, he enjoys getting in as much fishing and golfing as possible. Despite his busy schedule, Travis is a tireless contributor to the club’s off-season community programs and makes dozens of appearances across the province each winter. The Lions’ 2011 championship season is his greatest football memory to date, but his alma mater’s 2002 win over Montana ranks as a close second. Away from the field, Travis can be found watching his favorite TV show The Office or enjoying country music’s Toby Keith and he lists his favourite book as Angels and Demons.
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