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Brady Oliveira (born August 15, 1997) is a Canadian football running back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). After finishing his college career among the University of North Dakota's all-time leading rushers, he was drafted with the 14th overall pick in the 2019 CFL Draft, making him the first overall running back selected.[1]
| No. 20 Winnipeg Blue Bombers | |
 Oliveira at the 2019 Grey Cup parade in Winnipeg | |
| Born: | August 15, 1997 Winnipeg, Manitoba |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | Active |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | Running back |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| College | North Dakota |
| High school | Oak Park |
| CFL draft | 2019, round: 2, pick: 14 |
| Drafted by | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2019–present | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| CFL All-Star | (2023, 2024) |
| CFL West All-Star | (2023, 2024) |
| Career stats | |
| |
As a youth, Brady initially played soccer due to his father playing the sport but his skills transferred to football.[2] The coach for the North Winnipeg Nomads asked his mother if he could play football as they had an injured player and she allowed the request.[2] Oliveira initially did some kicking before switching to playing receiver and running back.[2] For high school football, he started playing for the school team at Oak Park High School where he became a star player.[2] As a senior at Oak Park, Oliveira was named the Winnipeg High School Football League (WHSFL) Potter Division Offensive Player of the Year after rushing 170 times for 2,220 yards and 34 touchdowns, and catching 6 passes for 142 yards and 2 additional TDs.[3] In his 370-yard game against Sturgeon High School, he broke the WHSFL record for single-game touchdowns with 6.[4]
He was named 2012 WHSFL Rookie of the Year as a sophomore in 2012.[5]
Oliveira spent the 2013 season at the Canada Prep Academy in Ontario.
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Oliveira finished his career at UND as the program's 7th all-time leading rusher with 2,822 yards (5.6 yards per carry average).[6]
He earned All-Big-Sky Conference honors in 2016[7] and 2017.[8] UND competed as an FCS independent school in 2018 with no All-Conference teams applicable. He was named to the 2016 Hero Sports Sophomore All-American team after posting 897 yards and 10 touchdowns.[9]
Oliveira was among 169 nominees for the Allstate Good Works Team recognizing "distinguished accomplishments off the field."[10]
He was invited to and participated in the 2019 College Gridiron Showcase college football all-star event in Fort Worth, Texas.[11]
Oliveira was named one of 5 finalists for the second annual Jon Cornish Trophy given to the most outstanding Canadian player in collegiate football.[12]
College statistics
| Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GP | Att | Yds | Avg | Yds/G | Long | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Long | TD |
| 2015 | UND | 8 | 60 | 348 | 5.8 | 43.5 | 38 | 1 | 5 | 45 | 9.0 | 26 | 0 |
| 2016 | UND | 12 | 168 | 897 | 5.3 | 74.8 | 60 | 10 | 6 | 36 | 6.0 | 11 | 0 |
| 2017 | UND | 11 | 111 | 637 | 6.7 | 57.9 | 57 | 3 | 5 | 56 | 11.2 | 23 | 0 |
| 2018 | UND | 11 | 161 | 940 | 5.8 | 85.5 | 68 | 8 | 9 | 104 | 11.6 | 34 | 0 |
| Total | 42 | 500 | 2,822 | 5.6 | 67.2 | 68 | 22 | 25 | 241 | 9.6 | 34 | 0 | |
Oliveira was named the Red Jarrett Male Athlete of the Year at the 2019 UND Night of Champions as the school's top male athlete.[13]
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Oliveira went undrafted in the 2019 NFL draft but was selected 14th overall in the 2019 CFL Draft by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.[14] On May 13, 2019, it was announced that he had signed his first professional contract with the Blue Bombers.[15] Oliveira injured his ankle during a Week 3 game against the Edmonton Eskimos while working on the kick return team which required surgery, and as a result he missed the rest of the 2019 CFL season.[16] The Blue Bombers went on to win the 107th Grey Cup with Oliveira on the injured list. He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season.
In 2021, Oliveira played in 13 regular season games and started in six with the incumbent starting running back, Andrew Harris, on the injured list.[17] Oliveira had 94 rushing attempts for 429 yards and two touchdowns and nine receptions for 74 yards.[17] He also dressed in both post-season games, including Oliveira's first appearance in a Grey Cup game. He dressed as the back-up running back, and while he did not record any statistics, he earned his second Grey Cup ring as the Blue Bombers defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 108th Grey Cup.[17]
On February 7, 2022, the Blue Bombers announced that Oliveira had agreed to a two-year contract extension.[18] That year, he played and started in all 18 regular season games where he rushed for over 1,000 yards for the first time in his CFL career, while also scoring five total touchdowns.[17] He helped Winnipeg finish 15-3 and made another appearance in the Grey Cup that year. In his first start in the championship game, he had 15 carries for 82 yards and one reception for four yards.[17] However, the Blue Bombers lost to the Toronto Argonauts.
In 2023, Oliveira rushed for 1,534 yards, the second most by a Canadian in a single season.[19] He also led the league in yards from scrimmage with 2,016 and in touchdowns with 13.[19] For his efforts, he won the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian award and the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy as the Most Outstanding Player in the West Division and was named a CFL All-Star.[19] Oliveira played in his third Grey Cup game, where he had 19 carries for 119 yards and one touchdown and one reception for eight yards, but the Blue Bombers lost the 110th Grey Cup to the Montreal Alouettes.[20]
In February 2024, he was eligible to test free agency. On February 6, the Blue Bombers announced that Oliveira had signed a two-year contract extension with the team.[19]
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Oliveira's father Adail, was a soccer player in Brazil and kickboxer in Canada.[2] His father was absent through much of his family's life, appearing sometimes and disappearing other times.[2] They lived in co-op housing and Oliveira took up jobs such as mowing grass and delivering flyers to help support his mother and family including buying a cellphone and helping to buy groceries.[2]
His brother Kyle is a mixed martial artist and boxer.[2][3][21] His sister got a soccer scholarship to the University of Winnipeg where she studied criminal justice and later worked at the Manitoba Law Courts.[2]
Oliveira has been featured on multiple episodes of the YouTube channel The Dodo for his contribution of rescuing and fostering animals.[22][23][24][25][26][27]
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