Ethan Ball
 Ball with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2025 | |
| No. 29 – Winnipeg Blue Bombers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive back |
| Roster status | Active |
| CFL status | National |
| Personal information | |
| Born | December 23, 2001 |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 192 lb (87 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Riffel (Regina, Saskatchewan) |
| College | North Dakota (2020–2023) |
| University | Calgary (2024) |
| CFL draft | 2025 (6th round, 54th overall pick) |
| Career history | |
| |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Ethan Ball (born December 23, 2001) is a Canadian professional football defensive back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at North Dakota and U Sports football at Calgary.
Early life
[edit]Ethan Ball was born on December 23, 2001.[1] He grew up a Saskatchewan Roughriders and San Diego Chargers fan.[2] He also played hockey as a youth but by Grade 10, he decided to solely focus on football.[3] Ball played high school football at Michael A. Riffel High School in Regina, Saskatchewan, playing both wide receiver and defensive back.[4] He had nearly 1,000 receiving yards his senior year and helped Riffel advance to the Regina Intercollegiate Football League championship game.[4]
College and university career
[edit]Ball originally committed to play U Sports football for the Calgary Dinos of the University of Calgary as a receiver.[2] However, he switched his commitment to the University of North Dakota, where he played American football as a defensive back for the North Dakota Fighting Hawks from 2020 to 2023.[4][2] He played in one game during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season and posted one solo tackle before redshirting.[4] He played in seven games as a backup defensive back in 2021, recording two solo tackles and one assisted tackle.[4] Ball appeared in all 12 games during the 2022 season, seeing time on special teams and as a backup defensive back while totaling 18 solo tackles and seven assisted tackles.[4] He earned honorable mention MVFC All-Academic Team honors for the 2022 season.[4] He played in 12 games in 2023, again as a backup defensive back and on special teams, recording 12 solo tackles and three assisted tackles.[4] He majored in environmental studies at North Dakota.[4]
In 2024, Ball transferred to the University of Calgary for his final season of eligibility in order to increase his CFL draft odds by playing Canadian football again.[2] He only played in five games during the 2024 season due to injuries, posting 19 solo tackles, 16 assisted tackles, two pass breakups, and one fumble recovery.[5][6] He majored in open studies at Calgary.[6]
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+1⁄2 in (1.82 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 4.66 s | 4.25 s | 7.15 s | 35.0 in (0.89 m) | 10 ft 3+3⁄8 in (3.13 m) | 13 reps | |||||
| All values from CFL Combine[7] | ||||||||||||
Ball was selected by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the sixth round, with the 54th overall pick, of the 2025 CFL draft.[5] He officially signed with the team on May 2, 2025.[8] He was moved to the practice roster on June 1.[8] On July 25, 2025, Ball was promoted to the active roster to replace the injured Lane Novak.[8][9]
Personal life
[edit]Ball's father, Michael Ball, was a broadcaster for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2022 to 2023.[9]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Ethan Ball". CFL.ca. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 Gray, Britton (March 19, 2025). "Regina's Ethan Ball bringing NCAA experience to CFL combine". CKOM. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ↑ Thomas, Dave (March 24, 2025). "Regina native Ethan Ball realizes 'dream of a lifetime' at 2025 CFL Combine". MooseJawToday.com. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Ethan Ball". University of North Dakota. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- 1 2 Tait, Ed (April 29, 2025). "Meet the Blue Bombers 2025 Draft Class". Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- 1 2 "Ethan Ball". University of Calgary. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Ethan Ball CFL Combine Results". CFL.ca. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Winnipeg Blue Bombers Transactions". FootballDB.com. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- 1 2 "Canadian DB Ethan Ball, son of former Riders broadcaster, to make CFL debut for Winnipeg Blue Bombers". 3DownNation.com. July 25, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- Living people
- 2001 births
- Canadian football defensive backs
- American football defensive backs
- North Dakota Fighting Hawks football players
- Calgary Dinos football players
- Winnipeg Blue Bombers players
- Players of Canadian football from Saskatchewan
- Players of American football from Saskatchewan
- Canadian football people from Regina, Saskatchewan