Rick Klassen
Encyclopedia
Rick Klassen is a former defensive lineman who played 10 years in the Canadian Football League
for the BC Lions
from 1981–1987, 1989–1990 and Saskatchewan Roughriders
in 1988.
In 2003, Klassen was voted a member of the B.C. Lions All-Time Dream Team, at defensive tackle, as part of the team's 50th season anniversary celebration. On July 19, 2007, he was inducted onto B.C. Lions Wall of Fame at BC Place Stadium
as a part of the 1985 Grey Cup championship team.
as a running back from Sardis High School and played his four years of college football with the Clan. Klassen chose to play his football at SFU because, during the 1970s and 1980s, it was considered the best football school in Canada. It has produced over 160 football players that have gone on to play pro football. In his freshman year, Klassen served as the Clan's backup running back, behind all-star Rick House but, during off-season training between his freshman and sophomore year, he went from 195 to 225 pounds and was immediately switched to the Clan's offensive line. He spent the rest of his three years at SFU at offensive guard.
, head coach Vic Rapp
saw Klassen's potential on the defensive side of the ball and he switched him to defensive tackle after defensive lineman Rick Goltz
suffered a season-ending injury. In the 1981 Western Semi-Final, his first ever CFL playoff game, Klassen picked up three sacks against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
and helped the Lions win 15-11 in an upset at Winnipeg Stadium. The next week in Edmonton, Klassen played in his first ever Western Final. B.C. almost pulled off the unbelievable but fell short against the Edmonton Eskimos
dynasty, as Warren Moon
hit Brian Kelly
for a late touchdown to beat the Lions, 22-16. Klassen played at the defensive tackle position until the 1983 season, when newly hired head coach Don Matthews
put him at rush end in his 3-4 defense
. In 1984, however, when Matthews, former Edmonton defensive co-ordinator, traded for James "Quick" Parker
from the Eskimos, Klassen again switched positions. He was put back inside at defensive tackle, where he stayed for the rest of his CFL career. In June 1983 he retired from football due to a contract dispute, but returned nine-days later.
games during the B.C. Lions' glory years during the mid-1980s, where he played the two best games of his CFL career. His first Grey Cup experience came in 1983 when the Lions hosted the championship game during the first year of BC Place's existence. That year, the Lions hosted the Western Final for the first time since their 1964 Grey Cup championship and beat Winnipeg, 39-21. In the 71st Grey Cup
, the Lions built up a 17-7 half-time lead but, unfortunately, weren't able to maintain the lead, eventually losing to the Toronto Argonauts 18-17 in front of 59,345 fans at BC Place. Klassen was a force at defensive end during the 1983 Grey Cup, earning 2.5 sacks and the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian. Two years later, Klassen was given another shot at winning the Grey Cup. B.C. got back to the Grey Cup in 1985 in what might be considered the greatest Lions team in club history. The team breezed through the 1985 CFL season
, finishing with a club-record 13-3 mark to finish first place in the West Division and host their third consecutive Western Final. The Leos dominated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at BC Place, winning it 42-22. In the 73rd Grey Cup
, B.C. continued its dominance against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
en route to a 37-24 victory at Olympic Stadium
in Montreal, ending a 21-year drought. Klassen again played an outstanding game at defensive tackle, pressuring and sacking Hamilton quarterback
Ken Hobart twice during the game to earn what would be his only Grey Cup championship. But his heroic effort at Olympic Stadium was overshadowed by the play of James "Quick" Parker, who was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player on Defence. Klassen finished his CFL career second all-time in Grey Cup sacks with 4.5, only behind Tyrone Jones.
The next two years, the B.C. Lions were close again but weren't able to get past the Edmonton Eskimos in the 1986 and 1987 Western Finals, losing 41-5 at Commonwealth Stadium
in 1986 and 31-7 at BC Place in 1987. In the years following their 1985 Grey Cup victory, the Lions faced some hard times off the field and Klassen soon found himself in Saskatchewan. General Manager Bob Ackles left the Lions in 1986 for a job with the National Football League
's Dallas Cowboys
and the team proceeded to hire Joe Galat as its new General Manager. After a 3-game losing streak mid-way through the 1987 CFL season
, Don Matthews
was fired as the Lions head coach by Galat and replaced by Larry Donovan
. In 1988, after spending the first seven seasons of his career with B.C., Klassen was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders during the off-season after Galat was hired. Klassen spent one season in Regina
, where he helped bring Saskatchewan out of its dark years and led the Roughriders to an 11-7 record and their first home playoff game since 1976. Saskatchewan was beaten by Klassen's old team, the B.C. Lions, 42-18 in the Western Semi-Final and the Roughriders had yet to host a home playoff before hosting Calgary in the Western Semifinal during the 2007 CFL season
. Klassen returned to his home in B.C. for his final two season with the Lions. He announced his retirement after the 1990 CFL season
.
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
for the BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
from 1981–1987, 1989–1990 and Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
in 1988.
In 2003, Klassen was voted a member of the B.C. Lions All-Time Dream Team, at defensive tackle, as part of the team's 50th season anniversary celebration. On July 19, 2007, he was inducted onto B.C. Lions Wall of Fame at BC Place Stadium
BC Place Stadium
BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium located at the north side of False Creek, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the home field for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer . Originally opened on June 19, 1983 as the...
as a part of the 1985 Grey Cup championship team.
College career
Klassen was recruited by Simon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
as a running back from Sardis High School and played his four years of college football with the Clan. Klassen chose to play his football at SFU because, during the 1970s and 1980s, it was considered the best football school in Canada. It has produced over 160 football players that have gone on to play pro football. In his freshman year, Klassen served as the Clan's backup running back, behind all-star Rick House but, during off-season training between his freshman and sophomore year, he went from 195 to 225 pounds and was immediately switched to the Clan's offensive line. He spent the rest of his three years at SFU at offensive guard.
Early CFL career
Klassen was drafted in 1981 as an offensive guard by the British Columbia Lions as a territorial draft pick. Eight games into the 1981 CFL season1981 CFL season
The 1981 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 28th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 24th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1981:...
, head coach Vic Rapp
Vic Rapp
Vic Rapp is a former American and Canadian football coach who served as the head coach of the BC Lions from 1977–1982.-Early career:A graduate of the University of Missouri, Rapp served as the Tigers End coach from 1967-71. In 1972, he became the offensive coordinator of the Canadian Football...
saw Klassen's potential on the defensive side of the ball and he switched him to defensive tackle after defensive lineman Rick Goltz
Rick Goltz
Ricardo Eugene Goltz is a former NFL and CFL player.He played his college football at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. In 1978 he was drafted by his hometown B.C. Lions with the 3rd overall pick in the CFL draft. During the 1987 NFL strike, he was signed as a replacement...
suffered a season-ending injury. In the 1981 Western Semi-Final, his first ever CFL playoff game, Klassen picked up three sacks against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
and helped the Lions win 15-11 in an upset at Winnipeg Stadium. The next week in Edmonton, Klassen played in his first ever Western Final. B.C. almost pulled off the unbelievable but fell short against the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
dynasty, as Warren Moon
Warren Moon
Harold Warren Moon is a former American professional gridiron football quarterback who played for the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos and the National Football League's Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs...
hit Brian Kelly
Brian Kelly (Canadian football player)
Brian Kelly was a Canadian Football League receiver for the Edmonton Eskimos who, in just nine years from 1979-1987 caught 575 passes for 11,169 yards and 97 touchdowns. Kelly was a member of 5 Grey Cup Championship teams in Edmonton. Kelly was the number 1 target of Eskimos Quarterback Warren...
for a late touchdown to beat the Lions, 22-16. Klassen played at the defensive tackle position until the 1983 season, when newly hired head coach Don Matthews
Don Matthews
Don Matthews, a.k.a. "The Don", is a former head coach of several teams in the Canadian Football League and is the second winningest head coach in CFL history with 231 wins...
put him at rush end in his 3-4 defense
3-4 defense
In American football, the 3–4 defense is a defensive alignment consisting of three down linemen and four linebackers.The 3–4 defense declined in popularity over the years, but has found renewed use by modern professional and college football teams. The 3–4 defense is so named because it involves 3...
. In 1984, however, when Matthews, former Edmonton defensive co-ordinator, traded for James "Quick" Parker
James Parker
James Parker may refer to:*Jim Parker , founder of Parker College of Chiropractic and Parker Seminars*Jim Parker , British composer*Jim Parker , American professional football player...
from the Eskimos, Klassen again switched positions. He was put back inside at defensive tackle, where he stayed for the rest of his CFL career. In June 1983 he retired from football due to a contract dispute, but returned nine-days later.
Career highlights
Klassen played in two Grey CupGrey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
games during the B.C. Lions' glory years during the mid-1980s, where he played the two best games of his CFL career. His first Grey Cup experience came in 1983 when the Lions hosted the championship game during the first year of BC Place's existence. That year, the Lions hosted the Western Final for the first time since their 1964 Grey Cup championship and beat Winnipeg, 39-21. In the 71st Grey Cup
71st Grey Cup
The 71st Grey Cup was the 1983 Canadian Football League championship game that was played at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, between the Toronto Argonauts and the hometown BC Lions...
, the Lions built up a 17-7 half-time lead but, unfortunately, weren't able to maintain the lead, eventually losing to the Toronto Argonauts 18-17 in front of 59,345 fans at BC Place. Klassen was a force at defensive end during the 1983 Grey Cup, earning 2.5 sacks and the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian. Two years later, Klassen was given another shot at winning the Grey Cup. B.C. got back to the Grey Cup in 1985 in what might be considered the greatest Lions team in club history. The team breezed through the 1985 CFL season
1985 CFL season
The 1985 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 32nd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 28th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1985:...
, finishing with a club-record 13-3 mark to finish first place in the West Division and host their third consecutive Western Final. The Leos dominated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at BC Place, winning it 42-22. In the 73rd Grey Cup
73rd Grey Cup
The 73rd Grey Cup was the 1985 Canadian Football League championship game that was played at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, between the BC Lions and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats...
, B.C. continued its dominance against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
en route to a 37-24 victory at Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...
in Montreal, ending a 21-year drought. Klassen again played an outstanding game at defensive tackle, pressuring and sacking Hamilton quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Ken Hobart twice during the game to earn what would be his only Grey Cup championship. But his heroic effort at Olympic Stadium was overshadowed by the play of James "Quick" Parker, who was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player on Defence. Klassen finished his CFL career second all-time in Grey Cup sacks with 4.5, only behind Tyrone Jones.
The next two years, the B.C. Lions were close again but weren't able to get past the Edmonton Eskimos in the 1986 and 1987 Western Finals, losing 41-5 at Commonwealth Stadium
Commonwealth Stadium (Edmonton)
Commonwealth Stadium is a sports stadium located in the Norwood Area of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, primarily used by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. The stadium is owned and operated by the City of Edmonton.- History :...
in 1986 and 31-7 at BC Place in 1987. In the years following their 1985 Grey Cup victory, the Lions faced some hard times off the field and Klassen soon found himself in Saskatchewan. General Manager Bob Ackles left the Lions in 1986 for a job with the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
and the team proceeded to hire Joe Galat as its new General Manager. After a 3-game losing streak mid-way through the 1987 CFL season
1987 CFL season
The 1987 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 34th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 30th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1987:...
, Don Matthews
Don Matthews
Don Matthews, a.k.a. "The Don", is a former head coach of several teams in the Canadian Football League and is the second winningest head coach in CFL history with 231 wins...
was fired as the Lions head coach by Galat and replaced by Larry Donovan
Larry Donovan
Larry Donovan is a former head football coach for the Montana Grizzlies and BC Lions.A 1964 graduate of the University of Nebraska, Donovan served as an assistant at Iowa, South Dakota, Washington State, and Kansas State before becoming Montana's head coach on December 15, 1979...
. In 1988, after spending the first seven seasons of his career with B.C., Klassen was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders during the off-season after Galat was hired. Klassen spent one season in Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, where he helped bring Saskatchewan out of its dark years and led the Roughriders to an 11-7 record and their first home playoff game since 1976. Saskatchewan was beaten by Klassen's old team, the B.C. Lions, 42-18 in the Western Semi-Final and the Roughriders had yet to host a home playoff before hosting Calgary in the Western Semifinal during the 2007 CFL season
2007 CFL season
The 2007 CFL season was the 54th season of modern Canadian professional football. Officially, it was the 50th season of the league, and many special events were held to commemorate the event. Regular-season play began on June 28, 2007 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario and concluded on...
. Klassen returned to his home in B.C. for his final two season with the Lions. He announced his retirement after the 1990 CFL season
1990 CFL season
The 1990 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 37th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 33rd Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1990:J...
.