Courtesy of GoGriffs.com
On Saturday night, former Canisius men’s basketball player Chris Manhertz 14, MS 14, will become the first former Golden Griffin to appear in an NFL postseason game in 78 years when his Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Los Angeles Chargers in an AFC Wild Card playoff game in Jacksonville, Fla.
Manhertz, who is in his seventh season in the NFL and his second year with Jacksonville, already holds the distinction of playing more NFL games than any other Canisius grad, as Saturday’s game will mark his 105th career contest. The second Canisius grad to score a touchdown in an NFL game, the Bronx, N.Y., native joins Tom Colella ’42 as the only two graduates of the College to play in an NFL playoff game. Colella, who was a three-sport athlete during his time at Canisius, was a member of the 1945 Cleveland Rams, which won the 1945 NFL Championship by defeating Washington 15-14.
Manhertz’s appearance in the NFL postseason makes Canisius one of six New York state based schools to have a former a former student-athlete on an active NFL roster for the playoffs. Canisius is joined on that list by Army, Buffalo, Fordham, Marist and Syracuse.
On the hardwood, Manhertz played in 116 career games as a Griff from 2010-14, where he made 94 career starts. A three-time team captain, Manhertz graduated from Canisius with 789 career rebounds, which ranks fourth in program history.
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