Former York University Lions football player Nikola Kalinic will compete on the biggest stage Canadian football has to offer as he and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats battle the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 107^th Grey Cup.
 
Kalinic is in his rookie season with the Tiger-Cats after being selected 10^th overall by the squad in the 2019 Canadian Football League (CFL) draft. He made the team out of training camp, scored the first touchdown of his career in his second game and has blossomed into Hamilton's starting fullback. He played in 16 regular-season games and the one playoff game last week, a dominant 36-16 win over the Edmonton Eskimos in the East Division final.
 
Kalinic was a special teams leader in his four seasons with the Lions (2014-18) while also playing at receiver and tight end. He was a three-time OUA all-star, including being recognized twice in his final season for both special teams and at fullback, and earned the team's MVP trophy in 2018. His size (6-foot-2, 245 pounds) and fierceness on the field made him a top pro prospect and he was selected in the second round by Hamilton, forgoing his final season of eligibility to begin his professional career.
 
The CFL's championship game will take place on Sunday at McMahon Stadium in Calgary with both teams looking to end long title-winning droughts. The Tiger-Cats played for the Grey Cup twice in back-to-back years in 2013 and 2014 but last lifted the trophy in 1999, while the Blue Bombers were last crowned champions in 1990, reaching the big game five times since, most recently in 2011.