The Winnipeg Football Club is deeply saddened with the news today of the passing of Blue Bombers legend Ken Ploen at the age of 88.
“Ken Ploen was the face of the Blue Bombers for years and then became a part of the fabric of this community following his playing days,” said Winnipeg Football Club President & CEO Wade Miller. “He was a four-time Grey Cup champion as a player and a great ambassador for our franchise and our city.
“The WFC would like to extend our deepest condolences to the Ploen family and to his many friends and family in Winnipeg as well as across Canada and the United States.”
Ploen came to Winnipeg in 1957, not long after being named the MVP in the Rose Bowl after guiding the University of Iowa to a win. During his 11 years with the Blue Bombers (1957-67) Ploen was part of four Grey Cup championships in 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1962 as a two-way star at quarterback and defensive back.
Ploen was such a gifted athlete he was named an all-star three times, twice as a quarterback and once as a defensive back after leading the team in 1959 with what was then a club record 10 interceptions.
He retired in 1967 as the Blue Bombers all-time leading passer and sixth in the CFL and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1975, to the WFC Hall of Fame in 1984, and added to the club’s Ring of Honour in 2016.
