Rick Klassen
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Born: | July 25, 1959 Sardis, British Columbia |
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Died: | December 10, 2016 Maple Ridge, British Columbia | (aged 57)
Career information | |
CFL status | National |
Position(s) | DT |
University | Simon Fraser University |
Career history | |
As player | |
1981–1987 1989–1990 | BC Lions BC Lions |
1988 | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
CFL West All-Star | 1985 |
Awards | Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian |
Richard Danny "Rick" Klassen (July 25, 1959 – December 10, 2016) was a
In 2003, Klassen was voted a member of the
Klassen's family donated his brain to research and discovered that he had had "chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in combination with dementia" and that it was "of the worst they've ever seen."[3]
College career
Klassen was recruited by Simon Fraser University as a running back from Sardis Secondary School, Chilliwack, B.C., and played his four years of college football with the Clan.
Klassen chose to play his football at SFU because, during the 1970s, it was considered the best football school in Canada and has produced over 160 football players who have gone on to play pro football. In his freshman year, Klassen served as the Clan's backup running back, behind all-star Rick House but, during off-season training between his freshman and sophomore year, he went from 195 to 225 pounds and was immediately switched to the Clan's offensive line. He spent the rest of his three years at SFU at
Early CFL career
Klassen was drafted in 1981 as an offensive guard by the British Columbia Lions as a territorial draft pick. Eight games into the
Career highlights
Klassen played in two
The next two years, the B.C. Lions were close again but weren't able to get past the Edmonton Eskimos in the 1986 and 1987 Western Finals, losing 41–5 at
References
- ^ Former B.C. Lions standout Rick Klassen dies at age 57
- ^ Richard Danny KLASSEN
- ^ Larsen, Karin (2017-07-06). "Former CFL star Rick Klassen's brain autopsy reveals extensive trauma". CBC. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
- ^ Lions' Klassen ends retirement