Sam Giguère

Biography

Sam Giguère was first recruited to the national bobsleigh program in 2012, which was also his rookie year in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He made his World Cup debut in December 2012 in sleds piloted by Justin Kripps. His season-best result was a seventh-place finish with pilot Christopher Spring in the four-man event at the Olympic test event in Sochi. He was also in Spring’s four-man sled at the 2013 World Championships. 

For the next few years, Giguère focused on his football career. He returned to the international bobsleigh scene in January 2016, primarily as a member of Spring’s four-man crew. At the 2016 World Championships, they were the top Canadian sled in the four-man event. Over the next two seasons, Giguère appeared in just two World Cup events. In December 2016, he helped push Spring to a four-man bronze medal in Lake Placid in his one race of the season. He also competed in one lone World Cup in 2017-18.

After the 2018 CFL season, Giguère more fully committed himself to bobsleigh. In January 2020 he won five gold medals (two in two-man, three in four-man) on the North American Cup circuit with pilot Taylor Austin. In his return to the World Cup circuit soon thereafter, he won a two-man bronze with Kripps in Sigulda, Latvia. Giguère became a fulltime member of the World Cup team in 2021-22, primarily competing in four-man events with Spring. He made his Olympic debut at Beijing 2022 as part of Spring’s four-man crew that finished ninth.

Giguère competed collegiately for Sherbrooke University in both football and athletics. As a member of the Vert & Or football team, he set the then-single season school record with 871 receiving yards and was a 2007 First Team All-Canadian pick. He was also a three-time First Team All-Conference selection and the 2007 CIS East-West Bowl offensive player of the game. Giguère also represented Canada at the 2005 Global Junior Championship.

Upon declaring pro, Giguère was selected eighth overall by Hamilton in the 2008 CFL Draft but instead joined the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL. He spent two years on the Colts’ practice squad, getting into one game in which he returned five kickoffs for 122 yards. He was with the Colts in 2010 when they lost Super Bowl XLIV. After a year with NY Giants’ practice squad, Giguère made his way to the CFL. In his seven-year CFL career (split between Hamilton, Montreal, and Edmonton) Giguère played in 107 games and recorded 207 catches for 2506 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding another four TDs on the ground. He made it to the Grey Cup in back-to-back seasons with the Ti-Cats in 2013 and 2014.

A Little More About Sam

Graduated with an accounting degree from Sherbrooke University…