Charleston Hughes (born December 14, 1983) is an American professional football defensive end. He was signed by the Calgary Stampeders as a street free agent in 2008 and won two Grey Cup championships over his ten-year tenure with the club (in 2008 and 2014). He is a six-time CFL All-Star and eight-time division All-Star. He was also named the West Division's Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2013. He played college football for Northwood. Hughes has also been a member of the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.

Charleston Hughes
Hughes with the Toronto Argonauts in 2021
Born: (1983-12-14) December 14, 1983 (age 41)
Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.
Career information
CFL statusAmerican
Position(s)Defensive end
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight246 lb (112 kg)
CollegeNorthwood
High schoolSaginaw High School
Career history
As player
2008Calgary Stampeders
2009Philadelphia Eagles*
20092017Calgary Stampeders
2018Hamilton Tiger-Cats*
20182020Saskatchewan Roughriders
2021Toronto Argonauts
2022Saskatchewan Roughriders
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
CFL All-Star2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
CFL West All-Star2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Awards2013 - Norm Fieldgate Trophy
Career stats
Games played190
Defensive tackles515
Sacks132
Interceptions3
Forced Fumbles30

Professional career

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Calgary Stampeders (first stint)

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Hughes joined the Stamps for the 2008 CFL season. He played in 15 of the 18 regular season games and recorded a career high 66 tackles. The Stampeders won the 96th Grey Cup against the Montreal Alouettes on November 23, 2008.

Philadelphia Eagles

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Following a successful rookie year in the CFL, Hughes joined the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League on January 27, 2009. He was released on September 1, 2009 before playing any regular season games.[1]

Calgary Stampeders (second stint)

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He returned to the CFL midway through the 2009 CFL season. Hughes finished the 2012 season ranked second in sacks with 11, trailing only Keron Williams who had 12. Hughes led the CFL in sacks for the 2013 season with 18, one shy of the franchise record of 19 set by Harold Hallman in 1986. In 2016,for the second time in his career, Hughes finished the season with the most sacks, this time with 16.[2] For his efforts, he was named a CFL All-Star for the third time in his career and was his team's nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player award for a third time. Following the 2016 season Hughes and the Stamps agreed to a contract extension, keeping him with the club through the 2018 season.[3] Hughes had another productive season in 2017 accumulating 11 quarterback sacks, earning his fourth CFL All-Star award in the process. At the end of the 2017 season Hughes' 99 sacks tied him with Will Johnson for the most sacks in Stampeders franchise history.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (first stint)

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Hughes with the Argonauts in 2021

On February 2, 2018, Hughes was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in exchange for draft pick positioning.[4] However, he was traded later that day to the Saskatchewan Roughriders for quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.[5] Hughes was charged with impaired driving on October 11, 2018, with a court date set for October 31, 2018.[6] Following the incident the Riders suspended Hughes for the team's critical Week 19 match against the Calgary Stampeders and fined him with the maximum disciplinary fine allowed under the CBA.[7] He finished the season having played in 17 games and contributing 35 tackles and 15 sacks. Hughes had an outstanding season with the Riders in 2019, and was named a CFL Top Performer for the months of July and September.[8] He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season and, as a pending 2021 free agent, he was released by the Roughriders on February 3, 2021.[9]

Toronto Argonauts

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On February 4, 2021, Hughes signed with the Toronto Argonauts to a two-year contract.[10][11] He played in nine games where he had 18 defensive tackles and two sacks and was released on December 27, 2021.[11]

Saskatchewan Roughriders (second stint)

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On May 10, 2022, it was announced that Hughes had re-signed with the Roughriders.[12] On February 14, 2023, Hughes became a free agent.[13]

Statistics

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  Defence
Year Team GP GS DT STT QS PKD Int FF FR TD
2008 CGY 16 15 66 5 5 5 0 1 2 0
2009 CGY 8 0 24 12 6 2 0 1 0 0
2010 CGY 15 12 35 8 7 3 0 2 0 0
2011 CGY 16 16 40 6 7 4 1 2 1 1
2012 CGY 18 18 53 6 11 3 1 5 0 0
2013 CGY 16 16 39 0 18 3 1 3 0 0
2014 CGY 11 11 28 1 8 3 0 3 0 0
2015 CGY 15 15 39 0 10 2 0 2 1 0
2016 CGY 18 18 47 0 16 1 0 3 0 0
2017 CGY 14 14 41 0 11 0 0 1 1 0
2018 SSK 17 17 35 0 15 4 0 3 2 1
2019 SSK 17 17 50 0 16 0 0 4 2 1
2020 SSK Season cancelled
2021 TOR 9 9 18 1 2 3 0 0 1 0
CFL totals 190 178 515 39 132 33 3 30 10 3

[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Charleston Hughes NFL Transactions". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  2. ^ Adams, Allen. "Road to the Grey Cup 2016". Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  3. ^ "Hughes to stay with Stamps through 2018". CFL.ca. December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  4. ^ "TiCats land Hughes in trade with Stamps". CFL.ca. February 2, 2018.
  5. ^ "TiCats flip Hughes to Riders". CFL.ca. February 2, 2018.
  6. ^ "Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive end Charleston Hughes charged with impaired driving: report". Regina Leader-Post. October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  7. ^ "Riders' Hughes fined; won't play in Week 19 - CFL.ca". CFL.ca. October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  8. ^ "Addison, Evans, Hughes named September Top Performers". CFL.ca. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  9. ^ "Riders release defensive end Charleston Hughes". Saskatchewan Roughriders. February 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "Argos sign six-time All-Star Charleston Hughes". argonauts.ca. February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Toronto Argos release star defensive end Charleston Hughes". 3DownNation. December 27, 2021.
  12. ^ "Charleston Hughes is back in green and white". Saskatchewan Roughriders. May 10, 2022.
  13. ^ "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  14. ^ "2021 CFL Guide" (PDF). Canadian Football League. p. 90. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
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