Graham Saxton Vigrass (born 17 June 1989) is a former Canadian professional volleyball player. As a member of the Canadian men's national volleyball team, he was a participant at two Olympic Games (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020) and a bronze medallist at the 2017 World League.[1] He is currently the head coach of the University of Calgary Dinos men's volleyball team.
Vigrass was born in Calgary, Alberta to parents Richard and Sandy Vigrass. His uncle, Don Saxton, played on the Canadian men's national volleyball team at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, and his cousin, Ben Saxton, played beach volleyball at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. Vigrass started playing volleyball at the age of 13, and played in Calgary for the Canuck Volleyball Club and Western Canada High School during his high school years.
Vigrass played U Sports men's volleyball with the University of Calgary Dinos for five seasons from 2007 to 2012. His time there was highlighted by leading the team to win the 2010 CIS Men's Volleyball Championship where he was also named the CIS Championship MVP.[2] During the following season, as defending champions, the Dinos finished with a bronze medal in the 2011 CIS championship and Vigrass was named the CIS Men's volleyball player of the year and the Canada West representative at the Canadian University Athletes of the Year Awards for the top male university athlete in Canada.[3][4]
Vigrass spent the 2012-13 season at the Team Canada National Excellence Program (NEP), formerly the Full Time Training Center (FTC), at the Centre Sportif in Gatineau, Canada, before signing in 2013 with Arago de Sète in Sete, France. He helped Étoile Sportive du Sahel V.C. win the Tunisian Volleyball Cup in 2015, before joining up with national team coach Glenn Hoag at Arkas Spor for the 2015-16 season, where they won bronze in the championship of the Turkish Men's Volleyball League. In 2016, Vigrass joined Berlin Recycling Volleys, teaming up with national teammate Steven Marshall to win gold in the championship of the Deutsche Volleyball-Bundesliga, and again in 2017/2018, and 4th at the championship of the CEV Champions League.[5] In 2018, he joined team Onica Warsaw and joined national teammate Sharone Vernon-Evans and former national team coach Stephane Antiga, where they won silver in the championship of the Polish PlusLiga. In 2019, he joined Jastrzębski Węgiel. In 2020, he, and national teammate Nicholas Hoag, helped Fenerbahçe İstanbul become Turkish Men's Volleyball Super Cup champions. In 2021, Vigrass joined Halkbank Ankara and won silver in the CEV Challenge Cup. After a one season hiatus away from the court, he returned to play for Club Voleibol Guaguas in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain in 2023. While there, the team set a Spanish league record by advancing to the quarterfinals of the Champion's League. The team also won golds in the championship of the Spanish Superliga, Spanish Supercup, the Iberian Cup and the King's Cup. Vigrass retired as a player in 2024.
Vigrass first joined the national team program in 2008 as a member of Canada men's junior national volleyball team. He helped the team win silver at the 2008 Men's Junior NORCECA Volleyball Championship, and qualify for the 2009 FIVB Volleyball Men's U21 World Championship. Vigrass joined the senior national "B" team in 2010, helping them reach 4th at the 2011 Summer Universiade, before becoming a senior national team member in 2012. His success over ten years with the senior team resulted in the achievement of 5 team records and the tying of two previous team records. He was a member of the squad that finished tied for 7th place at the 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, and helped the team win gold at the NORCECA Championship, his first two team records, and bronze at the 2015 Pan American Games, tying a previous team record. He was also on the team that finished in 7th place at the 2015 Men's World Cup, tying another team record. His next team record was as a member of the squad that won bronze at the 2017 FIVB Volleyball World League. He also helped the national team finish tied for 5th at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics and finish eighth at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. This set two team records, one by qualifying for consecutive Summer Olympics and one by qualifying for consecutive quarter finals at the Summer Olympics. [6] [7] Vigrass retired from the national team as a player in 2022.
Canadian University Men's Volleyball Championship, with Calgary Dinos
Canadian University Men's Volleyball Championship, with Calgary Dinos
Tunisian Volleyball Cup, with Étoile Sportive du Sahel V.C. Turkish Men's Volleyball League, with Arkas Spor Deutsche Volleyball-Bundesliga, with Berlin Recycling Volleys Deutsche Volleyball-Bundesliga, with Berlin Recycling Volleys
Polish PlusLiga, with Projekt Warsaw Turkish Men's Volleyball Super Cup, with Fenerbahçe_SK CEV Challenge Cup, with Halkbank Ankara Spanish Superliga, with Club Voleibol Guaguas Spanish Supercup, with Club Voleibol Guaguas Iberian Cup, with Club Voleibol Guaguas King's Cup, with Club Voleibol Guaguas
Junior NORCECA Championship
NORCECA Championship Team Record Pan American Games Tied a Team Record FIVB World League Team Record