National, across the border: Johnny Bright in Canada's hall

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Halls of Fame

Canadian Football Hall of Fame, elected 1970

Born here, enshrined elsewhere: Johnny Bright was born in Fort Wayne. At Drake he finished the 1951 season a first-team All-American and fifth in the Heisman voting; drafted by Philadelphia, he chose Canada instead, and played in the Canadian Football League from 1952 to 1964 for Calgary and Edmonton, becoming one of the league's defining players. He was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame at Hamilton in 1970. Drake retired his number 43 — the only football jersey the school has ever retired — and in 1969 named him the greatest player in its history. The hall is the national hall of another country's league and is printed as such; the man is Fort Wayne's by birth, and his full telling, including the 1951 incident that broke his jaw and changed two sports, stands in the people record.

Sources:

The people-sports record, this history — the birth, the Drake career, the CFL course and the 1970 election, citing Drake University and Pro Football Reference.

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Using this page? Copy a credit line. Last updated November 10, 2026.

Source: National, across the border: Johnny Bright in Canada's hall, Moosed History by Project Moosed, https://history.projectmoosed.com/usa/midwest/indiana/fort-wayne/halls-of-fame/national-across-the-border-johnny-bright-in-canada-s/

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  title        = {{National, across the border: Johnny Bright in Canada's hall}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://history.projectmoosed.com/usa/midwest/indiana/fort-wayne/halls-of-fame/national-across-the-border-johnny-bright-in-canada-s/}},
  organization = {Project Moosed},
  note         = {Moosed History. Last updated 2026-11-10. Accessed 2026-11-10},
  year         = {2026}
}