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| Born: | July 25, 1959 Sardis, British Columbia, Canada |
|---|---|
| Died: | December 10, 2016 (aged 57) Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada |
| Career information | |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | DT |
| University | Simon Fraser University |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1981–1987 | BC Lions |
| 1988 | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| 1989–1990 | BC Lions |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| CFL West All-Star | 1985 |
| Awards | 1983 Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian |
Richard Danny Klassen (July 25, 1959 – December 10, 2016) was a defensive lineman who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the BC Lions from 1981 to 1987 and again in 1989 and 1990, and the 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. He died from cancer in 2016.[1][2]
Klassen's family donated his brain to research and discovered that he had had "chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in combination with dementia" and that it was "of the worst they've ever seen."[3]
- ^ Former B.C. Lions standout Rick Klassen dies at age 57
- ^ Richard Danny KLASSEN
- ^ Larsen, Karin (2017-07-06). "Former CFL star Rick Klassen's brain autopsy reveals extensive trauma". CBC. Retrieved 2021-07-16.