Kenneth Ploen (June 3, 1935 – February 13, 2024) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a star

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

and safety for the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). The

Lost Nation, Iowa Lost Nation is a city in Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 434 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The area which would later formally become Lost Nation was known by that name as early as 18 ...

native played the same positions in

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Iowa Hawkeyes The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 20 sports, 7 for men and 13 for women; The teams participate in Division I of the Nati ...

approximately 60 minutes from his birthplace. In September 2009, Ploen was recognized in a vote of the fans and by the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as the Most Outstanding CFL Player of the 1960s. itation neededHe and

Warren Moon Harold Warren Moon (born November 18, 1956) is an American former professional Gridiron football, football player who was a quarterback for 23 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He spent most of h ...

are the only players to be selected to the

Rose Bowl Hall of Fame The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American college football bowl game, traditionally played on January 1 (New Year's Day) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2. ...

and

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, ...

and be part of multiple

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

championships.

College football

On the heels of a seventh-place finish in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

, the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

squad suddenly came of age in the 1956 season. The major step forward coincided with the emergence of Ploen, whose uncanny escapability, adroit ball-handling and senior leadership fueled the Wing-T offense that soon became the scourge of the Midwest. The Hawkeyes rolled to a 9-1 record, captured their first conference title in 35 years and made their first bowl appearance in school history. Ploen was named an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

and the Big Ten Player of the Year and finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy vote. The exclamation point was a 35-19 dismantling of the

Oregon State Beavers The Oregon State Beavers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Division I ...

in the

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

Rose Bowl Game The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American college football bowl game, traditionally played on January 1 (New Year's Day) at the Rose Bowl (stadium), Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on ...

in Pasadena, Calif. Ploen set the tone on a scintillating 49-yard touchdown run less than five minutes into the contest, completed 9-of-10 passes for another TD, played safety on defense and saw action on the kickoff and extra-point teams. Late in the first period, he sustained a knee injury on defense and was carried off the field, only to return for the second half and be chosen the Rose Bowl

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

in his final college game.

Canadian Football League

Ploen was one of several Iowa players who had been recruited heavily by

Bud Grant Harry Peter "Bud" Grant Jr. (May 20, 1927 – March 11, 2023) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). Grant was head coach of the NFL's Minnesota Viki ...

, the former

offensive end who would be hired as their head coach prior to the 1957 campaign. So while Ploen was selected by the far more visible and established

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

in the 19th round of the

1957 NFL draft The 1957 NFL draft had its first four rounds held on November 26, 1956, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia and its final twenty-six rounds on January 31, 1957, at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel also in Philadelphia. This was the 11th year th ...

, it was no surprise that he signed with the

club on June 10, 1957 instead. Whereas the Browns believed his future to be at defensive back, Ploen was assured by the Blue Bombers that he would compete at the quarterback position. The career decision couldn't have turned out much better for Ploen, a three-time CFL divisional All-Star who led the Blue Bombers to six Grey Cup appearances, winning four (

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

) and losing two (

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

). In the

49th Grey Cup The 49th Grey Cup was the Canadian Football League's championship game of the 1961 season on December 2, 1961. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 21–14 at CNE Stadium in Toronto before 32,651 fans. It is considered to ...

game (1961), Ploen scored one of the most memorable touchdowns in Canadian football history. In overtime, his team locked in a tense 14-14 battle with the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

, the quarterback eluded several defenders on an eighteen-yard run to the endzone (see video below). The play proved to be the decisive touchdown in a 21-14 victory in which he was chosen

Grey Cup Most Valuable Player The Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is awarded annually since 1959 to the player of the winning team who deemed to have had the best performance in the Grey Cup Game, the Canadian Football League's championship game. This award is prese ...

. Ploen and the Blue Bombers rode the wave of their 1961 success into the next season, when the veteran turned in the most dominant performance of his career. The veteran set career highs in touchdown passes (17), pass completion percentage (.659) and passer rating (118.2) and led his team past Hamilton 28-27 in a Grey Cup rematch of the previous season. Ploen was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1975, the

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a Canadian museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dedicated to honoring the history and achievements of sports in Manitoba. The organization began in 1980, and then opened a museum in The Forks in 1993. Afte ...

in 1987, the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1997, and the

Iowa Sports Hall of Fame The Iowa Sports Hall of Fame, sponsored by the ''Des Moines Register'', honors outstanding athletes and sports contributors. To be eligible, members must have either been born in Iowa or gained prominence while competing for a college or univers ...

in 2002. In 2005, Ploen was named one of the Blue Bombers 20 All-Time Greats.

Life after football

After Ploen retired from football, he and his wife Janet made Winnipeg their home. He worked as a sales representative and local radio

colour commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

for Blue Bombers games. In 2007, he was awarded the

Order of Manitoba The Order of Manitoba is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Instituted in 1999 when Lieutenant Governor Peter Liba granted royal assent to the ''Order of Manitoba Act'', the order is administered by the Governor-in ...

. In June 2011, the CFL announced the west entry service road off Chancellor Matheson Road next to the new Winnipeg Blue Bombers stadium will be named ''Ken Ploen Way'', to honour the former Blue Bombers quarterback and Canadian Football Hall of Famer. Ploen was also honoured at half-time, during the Blue Bombers’ first 2011 home preseason game, where the street sign was unveiled. In 2012 in honour of the

100th Grey Cup The 100th Grey Cup was a Canadian football game between the East Division champion Toronto Argonauts and the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League to decide the Grey Cup champions of the 2012 season. The ga ...

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...

used his image on a series of commemorative postage stamps. The image was also used on presentation posters and other materials to promote the Grey Cup game and other celebrations associated with the centennial. Ploen died in Winnipeg on February 13, 2024, at the age of 88. He suffered from dementia in his later years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ploen, Ken 1935 births 2024 deaths American emigrants to Canada American football quarterbacks Players of Canadian football from Iowa Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Canadian Football League announcers Canadian football quarterbacks Iowa Hawkeyes football players Members of the Order of Manitoba People from Lost Nation, Iowa Players of American football from Iowa American sports announcers Winnipeg Blue Bombers players