| No. 32, 39 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1964-02-21)February 21, 1964 (age 61) Anniston, Alabama, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College | Kansas |
| Career history | |
| 1986–1989 | Toronto Argonauts |
| 1990 | BC Lions |
| 1991–1998 | Edmonton Eskimos |
| 1999 | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| 2000 | Edmonton Eskimos* |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2005) | |
Willie Pless (born February 21, 1964) is an American former professionalfootballlinebacker who played in theCanadian Football League (CFL) for theToronto Argonauts,BC Lions,Edmonton Eskimos, andSaskatchewan Roughriders. He won the1993 Grey Cup with the Eskimos. He was inducted into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Pless played his college football at theUniversity of Kansas. As a Jayhawk starter for only three years (1983–1985) he amassed an amazing 633 tackles. This is not recognized as a record, as theNCAA officially counted tackles starting in 2000, but the present leader (Rod Davis) has only 526.[1] Being 5 feet 10 inches tall, 210 pounds, Pless was not drafted by theNFL. He would later (in 1990) try out for theNew Orleans Saints andKansas City Chiefs, but otherwise, his entire 14 year, 250 game, career was played inCanada. Willie was an All Big Eight Academic first team and was elected as the all-time best linebacker in the history of Big Eight after it became the Big Twelve.[2]
Willie Pless may be the best defensive player ever to play in the CFL.[3] He played for 4 teams:Toronto Argonauts for 4 years (1986–1989),B.C. Lions for 1990,Edmonton Eskimos for (1991–1998) and finally theSaskatchewan Roughriders (1999).[4] He holds the league record for most tackles (1,241).[5] He also had 84 quarterback sacks, 39 interceptions, 39 fumble recoveries,[3] played in 18 playoff games and three Grey Cups, winning one championship (the81st Grey Cup game).[4] He won theCFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award five times and was an all star 11 times.[4]
He is a member of theUniversity of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame[6] and was inducted into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in 2005.[4] In November, 2006, Willie Pless was voted one of the CFL'sTop 50 players (#16) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports networkThe Sports Network/TSN.[7]
Pless has settled inEdmonton and runs a personal trainer business.[8]