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| No. 22 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive back |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1938-06-26)June 26, 1938 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | July 6, 2023(2023-07-06) (aged 85) |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | David Starr Jordan (CA) |
| College | UCLA |
| AFL draft | 1961: 21st round, 167th overall pick |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1961 | Montreal Alouettes |
| 1962–1969 | Ottawa Rough Riders |
| 1970–1976 | Montreal Alouettes |
Coaching | |
| 1982 | Edmonton Eskimos (DB Coach) |
| 1986–1990 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Secondary Coach) |
| Awards and highlights | |
Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1994) | |
Eugene Carver Gaines (June 26, 1938 – July 6, 2023) was an American professionalfootball player who was adefensive back for 16 years in theCanadian Football League (CFL). He played for theOttawa Rough Riders andMontreal Alouettes. He is a member of theCanadian Football Hall of Fame.[1]
Gaines was born in Los Angeles and grew up in theWatts neighborhood.[2][3] He playedcollege football for theUCLA Bruins. Gaines had 42 careerinterceptions in the CFL.[4] With Ottawa in 1964, he set a CFL record with a 128-yardkickoff return in theEastern Conference playoffs against theHamilton Tiger-Cats.[2] In 1970, he was both a player and one of the defensive backfield coaches for the Alouettes.[5][6] Gaines played in the CFL as a non-import player based on a 1965 ruling allowing teams to designate certain long-term players as Canadian for football purposes.[7][8][9][10]
Following his retirement as a player, he remained involved in coaching in the CFL, with Montreal (1977–81),Edmonton Eskimos (1982),Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1986–87, 1989–90), and Hamilton (1988).He also coached in the United States with theLos Angeles Express (USFL) in 1983, and in 1984–85 with theNFLHouston Oilers; on the American teams, he accompanied his Edmonton CoachHugh Campbell, and at the end of the 1985 season was not renewed to the staff, and Campbell had been fired after 14 games.
Gaines died on July 6, 2023, at the age of 85.[11]
For instance, if the law passes, does Gene Gaines have to take out Canadian citizenship to retain his non-import status? CFL commissioner Jake Gaudaur says 'no' because "acquired rights will have to be protected and Gaines acquired his Canadian status years ago.