Stamps shocker: Canadian quarterback Andrew Buckley retires

Canadian quarterback Andrew Buckley has retired from football after getting into medical school.

The Calgary Stampeders made the announcement on Monday morning.

“I’ve been accepted into medical school at the University of Calgary and it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass on,” Buckley said in a statement. “Studying medicine has been my goal since I was young and this is the right time in my life to pursue it.”

Buckley, a Calgary native, has been the Stamps’ back up and short-yardage quarterback the last two seasons and made his first career start last year against Winnipeg. For his career, he registered 57 career carries for 157 yards and 11 touchdowns while completing 33 of 44 passes for 326 yards and one touchdown.

Buckley was a seventh-round selection out of the University of Calgary in 2015 and is two-time winner of the Hec Crighton Trophy as the top player in Canadian university football.

“We’re sorry to lose Andrew but we certainly wish him the best in his studies and his future career,” said Stampeders president and general manager John Hufnagel. “We enjoyed Andrew’s time with the Red and White and thank him for everything he did for the organization.”

The move leaves Ricky Stanzi, who threw eight passes in his rookie season last year, as the only other quarterback on the roster behind starter Bo Levi Mitchell.