Jay Roberts (October 20, 1942 – October 6, 2010) was a Canadian football player who played for the Ottawa Rough Riders. He won the Grey Cup in 1968 and 1969.[1] He previously played college football at the University of Kansas. He was one of the last three sport lettermen at the University of Kansas where he played football, basketball and did the high jump in track. Roberts' brightest moment in a two-year hoops career at KU came when the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder's 12-foot jumper with three seconds left gave KU a 90–88, four-overtime victory over rival Kansas State in the finals of the 1962 Big Eight Holiday Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. In 2010, Roberts died of small cell lung cancer at the age of 67. He donated his brain and spinal cord to medical research and was the first CFL player ever to do so.[2][3][4] Later research showed that Roberts' brain showed a presence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease linked to repeated sustenance to concussions.[5] His son, Jed Roberts, also played in the CFL, for the Edmonton Eskimos.

Jay Roberts
Born:(1942-10-20)October 20, 1942
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Died:October 6, 2010(2010-10-06) (aged 67)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Career information
CFL statusAmerican
Position(s)TE
Height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight220 lb (100 kg)
CollegeKansas
Career history
As player
19641970Ottawa Rough Riders
Career highlights and awards

References

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  1. ^ "Tom Schuette football statistics on StatsCrew.com".
  2. ^ "Riders legend Jay Roberts loses battle with cancer | Football | Sports | Calgary". Archived from the original on October 26, 2014.
  3. ^ "Riders legend Jay Roberts left beautiful gift | Home | Toronto Sun". Archived from the original on October 26, 2014.
  4. ^ "Jay Roberts in fight for his life | Football | Sports | Toronto Sun". Archived from the original on October 26, 2014.
  5. ^ "Bobby Kuntz And Jay Roberts, Former CFL Players, Test Results Show They Had Brain Disease". Archived from the original on October 26, 2014.