Cvijanovich was a notable player for the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen during the 1971 NAIA Division II Football National Championship.
[2] He was later drafted to the Canadian Football League after his collegiate career and was selected as the CFL Rookie of the Year in 1974 as a middle linebacker with the Toronto Argonauts.
He set a record for interceptions by a linebacker as a rookie and played three seasons for Toronto before being traded to Vancouver.
While at Santa Clara he played football, basketball, and baseball under his father Lou Cvijanovich, who coached varsity teams in all three sports.
In 1974, he won the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award[6] on the strength of his 7 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries.