Travon Van
Travon Homer Van is a Canadian football running back for the San Diego Strike Force of the Indoor Football League. He played college football at Montana. Van made his professional debut for the Ottawa Redblacks, where he won a Grey Cup in 2016. He has also been a member of the Edmonton Eskimos and BC Lions.
Professional career
Ottawa Redblacks
After going undrafted in the 2015 NFL draft Van signed with the Ottawa Redblacks on August 10, 2015 to replace Chevon Walker. Van did not see any playing time in 2015, but in 2016 he came into prominence in the Redblacks offense after starting running back William Powell tore his Achilles tendon in preseason. The Redblack employed a running back by committee approach in 2016, which included Mossis Madu, Travon Van, Nic Grigsby, and Kienan LaFrance. Van carried the ball 81 times in 2017, for 422 yards with three touchdowns. He also caught 19 passes for 137 yards. Following the season he was not re-signed by the Redblacks and became a free agent.Edmonton Eskimos
On February 16, 2017, Van signed with the Edmonton Eskimos. Van was slated to become the team's backup running back to John White. Two weeks into the 2017 season, White suffered a season-ending injury, meaning Van was the new starter for the Eskimos. Van would play his former team, the Redblacks, on July 14. He would record his first 100+ yard rushing game, finishing the game with 18 carries for 103 yards. However, two weeks later Van would suffer a neck injury during a game against the BC Lions. He would be placed on the six-game injured list. He returned on September 16 against the Toronto Argonauts. Van would go on to record 18 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown before suffering a season-ending injury on September 30 versus the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He appeared in six games in 2017, rushing for 283 yards and three touchdowns.On February 16, 2018, the Eskimos re-signed Van to a one-year contract. Nevertheless, Van was released by the Eskimos on May 1, 2018, as the team trimmed their roster down to 75 players in preparation for the 2018 season.