Bill Frank
Encyclopedia
William B. Frank, Jr. (born April 13, 1938 in Denver, Colorado
) is a retired 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
.
at San Diego Junior College
in 1959, and was named onto the junior college
All-American team. For the next two years, he played on the University of Colorado
's football team. He was named a member of Colorado's all-time all-star team. He was also a competitive college wrestler.
in 1962 and played in the 1963 Grey Cup. He was an 18th round draft pick (244 overall) in the 1963 NFL Draft
by the Dallas Cowboys
and played four games with the team in 1964. 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
.
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
) is a retired American
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
offensive tackle in the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
and with the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, who also briefly played in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
Canadian Football Hall of Fame
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
.
College career
Frank played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at San Diego Junior College
San Diego City College
San Diego City College is a public, two-year community college located in San Diego, California. City College is part of the San Diego Community College District along with San Diego Mesa College, San Diego Miramar College and San Diego Continuing Education...
in 1959, and was named onto the junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
All-American team. For the next two years, he played on the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
's football team. He was named a member of Colorado's all-time all-star team. He was also a competitive college wrestler.
Professional career
Frank began his 15-year CFL career with the BC LionsBC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
in 1962 and played in the 1963 Grey Cup. He was an 18th round draft pick (244 overall) in the 1963 NFL Draft
1963 NFL Draft
The 1963 National Football League Draft was held on December 4, 1962.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
and played four games with the team in 1964. He returned to the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
from 1965 to 1968 and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
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
TSN Top 50 CFL Players
The TSN Top 50 CFL Players was a list of the greatest fifty Canadian Football League players, as selected by a panel of sixty former CFL players, then-current and former coaches, executives, and media members in 2006. The panel was assembled by sports television network TSN in partnership with the...
(#49) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
.
Awards and honors
- CFL All-Star team (offensive tackle) - 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973
- Eastern All-Star (offensive tackle) - 1966, 1967, 1968
- Western All-Star (offensive tackle) - 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973
- Winnipeg Blue BombersWinnipeg Blue BombersThe Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
Hall of Fame - 1990 - Canadian Football Hall of FameCanadian Football Hall of FameThe Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
- 2001