Place of birth Denver, Colorado Status Retired | CFL status International Name Bill Frank | |
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Date of birth (1938-04-13)April 13, 1938 Date of death June 26, 2014(2014-06-26) (aged 76) Place of death White Rock, British Columbia | ||
[CC] Happy Birthday, Bill Frank!!! From The Guilty Ones
William B. Frank, Jr. (April 13, 1938 – June 26, 2014) was an American and Canadian football offensive tackle in the Canadian Football League and with the University of Colorado, who also briefly played in the National Football League. He is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Contents
- CC Happy Birthday Bill Frank From The Guilty Ones
- Early years
- BC Lions CFL
- Dallas Cowboys
- Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers CFL
- Awards and honors
- References
Early years
Frank played college football at San Diego Junior College in 1959, and was named onto the junior college All-American team.
He played two years on the University of Colorado's football team, until he was declared ineligible when the school was placed on probation by the NCAA in 1962. He was named a member of Colorado's all-time all-star team. He was also a competitive college wrestler.
BC Lions (CFL)
Frank began his 15-year CFL career with the BC Lions in 1962 and played in the 1963 Grey Cup.
Dallas Cowboys
Frank was selected in the 18th round (244th overall) of the 1963 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Because he still was under contract in the Canadian Football League, the Cowboys had to additionally trade running back Amos Bullocks to the BC Lions in exchange for Frank's playing rights. To complicate matters further, he signed a contract with the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League, which was eventually voided by commissioner Joe Foss. He played four games with the team in 1964, before being released on September 7, 1965.
Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
He returned to the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts from 1965 to 1968 and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1968 to 1976. He was an all-star seven times. Frank was named to the Argonauts' quarter-century team, the Blue Bombers' all-time dream team, and in November 2006 was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players (#49) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN. He died in his sleep on June 26, 2014.