Argonauts.com
CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO — Former Winnipeg Blue Bomber and Toronto Argonaut (Tricky) Dick Thornton, who won two Grey Cups with Winnipeg in the 1960s, has died at age 75 after a bout with lung cancer.
The Argos confirmed the news Friday night.
Thornton, who played as a defensive back, wide receiver, quarterback and running back, was part of the Blue Bombers’ Grey Cup winning teams in 1961 and 1962 and made it to the CFL championship game with Winnipeg in 1965 and again with Toronto in 1971.
As a defensive back, Thornton returned eight interceptions for touchdowns over 12 CFL seasons, including three in 1963 alone.
The Chicago native was inducted into the Bombers Hall of Fame in 1988 and played in three CFL all-star games from 1963-1971.
Thornton was an All-American standout as a quarterback, free safety and special teams performer at Northwestern University in Illinois.
He was drafted in the sixth round of the 1961 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns who immediately traded his rights to the St. Louis Cardinals. He was also selected by the American Football League’s Dallas Texans, and was named to the Blue Bombers’ negotiation list before settling on Winnipeg.
Thornton finished his career in 1974 by signing a one (1) year contract with the Memphis Southmen of the WFL and being named team captain. He was later named Head Coach and Athletic Director at Southwestern University at Memphis (Rhodes College).
He led the team to a 9-1-1 record in 1977 before moving into the food and beverage industry in 1978. His work took him around the world from Atlanta to Australia, then London, Singapore and he eventually settled in the Philippines.
In 2012, TSN aired a documentary series called Engraved on a Nation. The Toronto Argonauts’ episode was focused on the 1971 team, and its original working title was ‘Mavericks’ (later re-titled The Greatest Team that Never Won) to reflect the variety of personalities who made up the squad. Dick Thornton was featured prominently throughout the episode.
He was also a prolific writer and is survived by his wife Lhyn, daughters Lisa and Ashley, his son Ricky, and his grandsons Trey and Josh.
–With files from Argonauts.com and Canadian Press–
