Beyond February: Chris Ackie
By: Dave Morrissey
Chris Ackie played defensive back for Laurier from 2011 to 2014.
A local player out of Preston High School, Ackie played immediately with the Golden Hawks in his first year.
During his time with Laurier, he never missed a game. Over those 35 career games, he had 116 solo tackles, 59 assisted tackles, five sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
In 2013, he was an OUA second-team All-Star. In 2014, he was an OUA first-team All-Star and a CIS (now U SPORTS) first-team All-Canadian.
In 2015, he was the fourth overall selection in the CFL Draft. He played linebacker and special teams during his initial four seasons with Montreal, amassing 130 tackles, four forced fumbles, two sacks, two interceptions, and one touchdown.
After spending the final three games of the 2018 season in Ottawa with the Red Blacks, Ackie returned to the Alouettes for the 2019 season. He signed as a free agent with the Toronto Argonauts for the 2020 season, but it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He returned to Montreal for a third time and played with the Alouettes in 2021 and 2022. In his second and third tenures with Montreal, Ackie added 113 tackles, six sacks, and three more interceptions to his career totals. Ackie also served as a team representative for Montreal in the Canadian Football League Players’ Association.
He retired from the CFL this past off-season and now performs numerous roles, including public affairs, government relations, marketing, and communications with a Toronto-based digital health agency.
