1. Lirim Hajrullahu is a Kosovan-Canadian professional football placekicker for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
32 Facts About Lirim Hajrullahu
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Lirim Hajrullahu is a two-time Grey Cup champion after winning with the Argonauts in 2017 and 2024 and is a three-time CFL East Division All-Star.
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Lirim Hajrullahu was born in Gjilan to father Nijazi Hajrullahu and mother Tevide.
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Lirim Hajrullahu's father had been a professor at the University of Sarajevo.
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Lirim Hajrullahu is a middle child, and has an older sister Lume and a younger sister Linda.
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Lirim Hajrullahu went to Governor Simcoe Secondary School in St Catharines and graduated in 2009.
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Lirim Hajrullahu had friends trying out for the football team in grade 9, while Hajrullahu took up soccer.
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Lirim Hajrullahu played right tackle when he was in grade 11, and played as a linebacker, offensive lineman and kicker in grade 12.
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Lirim Hajrullahu attended the University of Western Ontario's School of Kinesiology, receiving his bachelor's degree in sports management in 2013 and his master's degree in management and leadership in 2015.
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Lirim Hajrullahu received scholarship opportunities from across Canada and narrowed his choice down between Western and Queen's University, choosing the former.
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In 2009, Lirim Hajrullahu was selected as part of the Canada national junior football team, which competed at the 2009 IFAF Junior World Championship in Canton, Ohio.
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In 2011, Lirim Hajrullahu was selected as part of the Canada national football team, which competed at the 2011 IFAF World Championship in Austria.
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On January 17,2014, Lirim Hajrullahu was signed by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.
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Lirim Hajrullahu became a free agent on February 9,2016, and signed with the Toronto Argonauts that same day.
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Lirim Hajrullahu scored the first CFL points for both a visiting team and the Argonauts.
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Lirim Hajrullahu conceded a safety to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, then later kicked a field goal for the Argos.
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On January 11,2017, Lirim Hajrullahu signed a contract extension with the team for the 2017 season.
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Lirim Hajrullahu had gone into the championship game mourning the death of his younger cousin who had died in a car crash in Kosovo in the days leading up to Hajrullahu's big game.
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On February 13,2018, Lirim Hajrullahu signed a contract with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
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On November 6,2019, Lirim Hajrullahu was named as part of the East Division's All-Star team.
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Lirim Hajrullahu was waived on September 4,2020, after losing the kicker job to rookie Sam Sloman.
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In November 2020, Lirim Hajrullahu signed with the Generals of The Spring League and played in their inaugural fall season.
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On December 9,2020, Lirim Hajrullahu was signed to the Carolina Panthers' practice squad, but was released six days later due to a work visa problem.
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Lirim Hajrullahu returned to the Generals for The Spring League's 2021 season.
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Lirim Hajrullahu spent five days in training camp and was released on August 24,2021.
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On December 11,2021, Lirim Hajrullahu was signed to the Washington Football Team's practice squad.
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Lirim Hajrullahu played in the last 3 games of the season, making 4 of 5 field goal attempts and 3 of 3 extra point attempts.
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Lirim Hajrullahu signed with the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League on May 17,2023.
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On February 5,2024, it was announced that Lirim Hajrullahu had signed with the Argonauts, replacing the incumbent, Boris Bede, who was released the same day.
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Lirim Hajrullahu notably kicked eight field goals in a game against the Montreal Alouettes on September 8,2024, which tied a league record with three other players.
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Lirim Hajrullahu played in all 18 regular season games where he was successful on 55 of 61 field goal attempts and 35 of 37 convert attempts.
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Lirim Hajrullahu graduated from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, receiving her undergraduate degree in Honours Business Administration and afterwards a Master of Business Administration degree from the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Laurier University.