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Johnny Bright
John Dee Bright, football player, teacher (born 11 June 1930 in Fort Wayne, Indiana; died 14 December 1983 in Edmonton, AB). Johnny Bright was one of the most talented running backs in Canadian Football League (CFL) history. A top college player in the United States, he was severely injured during an NCAA game in 1951 in a racially motivated attack. He was drafted into the NFL in 1952 but accepted an offer from the Calgary Stampeders instead. Bright played 13 seasons (1952–64) in the CFL with the Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos (now Edmonton Elks). He won three Grey Cups and was the first Black player to be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player. Bright holds Edmonton franchise records for most rushing yards in a career (9,966) and in a season (1,722 in 1958). He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the US College Football Hall of Fame and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.