| No. 63 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1956-10-23)October 23, 1956 (age 69) Winnipeg,Manitoba, Canada |
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Weight | 325 lb (147 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Dickinson State |
| CFL draft | 1981: 1st round, 4th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| 1981 | Montreal Alouettes |
| 1981–1996 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| Awards and highlights | |
Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2003) | |
Chris Walby (born October 23, 1956) is a retiredCanadian Football League player who played theoffensive tackle position almost exclusively with theWinnipeg Blue Bombers. He won threeGrey Cups with the Bombers in1984,1988, and1990. Walby was also asportscaster with theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation'sCFL on CBC telecasts following his retirement.
Born inWinnipeg,Manitoba, Walby grew up in the city'sNorth End on Polson Avenue.[1] He attended school atSt. John's High School where he started playingjunior football for the first time in grade 12.[1] Growing up in Winnipeg, the primary sport washockey and Walby played for the West Kildonan/Kildonan North Stars.
He played in the 1975–76 and 76-77 seasons, scoring four goals and nine assists but racking up 275 penalty minutes.[1] Playing hockey in an era of fighting, he got into a pre-game altercation with Harvey Takvam. Walby and teammate Jimmy Flett were arrested. Walby was charged with assault causing bodily harm and given a two-year conditional sentence.[1] After his junior hockey career, he started playing football with the Winnipeg Rods, and earned anathletic scholarship to playcollege football atDickinson State University inNorth Dakota.[1]
Following his collegiate career, Walby was drafted in the first round of the 1981 CFL Draft by theMontreal Alouettes. Walby played five games on theoffensive line for them during the1981 CFL season. Wrangling by management over his salary left Walby without a contract and short pay after he was waived by Montreal general managerBob Geary; this left him with a bad taste in his mouth, but also with a contract offer from his hometownWinnipeg Blue Bombers.[2] Bombers' assistant general managerPaul Robson greeted Walby at the airport, and within 30 minutes of his arrival had signed him to the team.[2]
Assistant coachEllis Rainsberger moved Walby from defensive end to right guard in 1982 and 1983. The following season he moved to right tackle, where his success took him to a Hall of Fame career on the offensive line. Robson later said of his playing style "He was an offensive lineman with a defensive lineman's personality, and that was the best of both worlds."[2]
For the remaining 16 years of his professional football career (1981–1996), Walby was a fixture on theBombers' offensive line and a favourite of fans. He was named a CFL All-Star nine times, received theCFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award twice, and won theGrey Cup on three occasions. He is often referred to as one of the greatest offensive linemen in the history of the CFL.[3]
After his football career, Walby ran for a seat in theManitoba Legislature for theLiberal Party of Manitoba but lost. He also was involved in various business ventures such as a restaurant calledHog City Bar and Grill.
Walby was asportscaster on theCBC'sCFL on CBC television broadcasts.
In 2003, Walby was elected into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame and in 2005, was chosen as one of the Blue Bombers All-Time 20 Greatest players. In November 2006, Walby was chosen 22nd amongst theCFL's 50 Greatest Players in aTSN poll.[4]Inducted into theManitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 2006.