John Helton

For the professor of mathematics, see John William Helton. For John Helton (MP), see Appleby (UK Parliament constituency) and Carlisle (UK Parliament constituency).

John Helton (born 23 May 1947) is a former defensive tackle for the Calgary Stampeders from 1969 to 1978 and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1979 to 1982 of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

John Helton

No. 77, 99
Date of birth	(1947-05-23) May 23, 1947
Career information
CFL status	International
Position(s)	DT
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	250 lb (110 kg)
US college	Arizona State
NFL draft	1969 / round: 7 / pick: 157
Drafted by	Buffalo Bills
Career history
As player
1969–1978	Calgary Stampeders
1979–1982	Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Career highlights and awards
CFL All-Star	1971–1976, 1978, 1979, 1982
CFL West All-Star	1969–1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982
Awards	1979 - Tom Pate Memorial Award 1974 - CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award 1972 - CFL's Most Outstanding Lineman Award
Honors	1971 - Grey Cup champion
Career stats
Canadian Football Hall of Fame, 1986

Early life and college

John Helton graduated from Captain Jack High School in Mount Union, Pennsylvania. Helton was selected in the seventh round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft by the Buffalo Bills after a stellar career at Arizona State University, but opted to go to Canada.

Professional career

Helton was a CFL-All Star 10 times in 14 years of play at defensive tackle. Helton won a Grey Cup with the Stampeders in 1971. He also lost the 58th Grey Cup in 1970 to the Montreal Alouettes on a very muddy field.

Honors

Helton was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1986. He was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1993. In November 2006, Helton was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players (#12) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network The Sports Network/TSN, witth no defensive lineman being ahead of him.

External links

• Seen in game 3 of the 1970 Western Conference finals in its entirety, won by Calgary on YouTube