| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Halfback |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1914-07-13)July 13, 1914 Perham, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | February 14, 1996(1996-02-14) (aged 81) Calgary,Alberta, Canada |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | North Dakota State |
| Career history | |
| 1935–1946 | Winnipeg Winnipegs/Blue Bombers |
| 1947–1948 | Calgary Stampeders |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1963) | |
Melvin "Fritz"Hanson (July 13, 1914 – February 14, 1996) was aCanadian football player for theWinnipeg Blue Bombers and theCalgary Stampeders. Hanson was signed by the Blue Bombers for $125 a game and free room and board, which was a considerable sum in the cash-strappeddirty thirties. Nicknamed "the Galloping Ghost", "Twinkle Toes" and "the Perham Flash", Hanson was one of the pioneers of football inWestern Canada and a huge star at the time. Although he weighed only 145 pounds (66 kg) he used his incredible quickness to evade defenders. He helped lead the Blue Bombers to the firstGrey Cup victory by a western Canadian team in 1935 and won again with the Bombers in 1939 and 1941.[1][2] In the 1935 Grey Cup Game Hanson had an incredible 334 punt return yards on 13 returns, a record that still stands today, including a sensational 78-yard return for the winning touchdown.[2] He played with Winnipeg from 1935 through 1946 then spent two years playing for the Calgary Stampeders, where he won a fourth Grey Cup in 1948.[1]
Hanson was elected into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in 1963[1] and inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.[2] He became a Canadian citizen in 1966[2] and, in 2005, Hanson was named one of the Blue Bombers 20 All-Time Greats. He died inCalgary on February 14, 1996, at the age of 81.[3]
Hanson and his wife, Maxine, had four daughters.