Royal Copeland (October 12, 1924 – August 8, 2011) was a Canadian

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 ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

who played at the elite level from 1943 to 1956. Copeland won four

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 ...

s with the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

. Along with

Joe Krol Joseph "King" Krol (February 20, 1919 – December 16, 2008) was a Canadian football quarterback, running back, defensive back, and placekicker/ punter from 1942 to 1953 and 1955. Considered as possibly the most versatile player in Canadian fo ...

they were known as the ''

Gold Dust Twins The Gold Dust Twins, the trademark for Fairbank's Gold Dust washing powder products, appeared in printed media as early as 1892. "Goldie" and "Dusty", the original Gold Dust Twins, were often shown doing household chores together. In general use ...

''. Copeland is the only player to score a touchdown in three consecutive Grey Cup games:

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...

1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...

, and

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

. He became a member of the

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, ...

in 1988. During the Second World War when the Argonaut football operations were suspended, Royal Copeland played in the Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) in 1943 with Toronto Navy .

References

1924 births 2011 deaths Calgary Stampeders players Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Canadian football running backs Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Canada Players of Canadian football from Ontario Canadian football people from Toronto Toronto Argonauts players Ontario Rugby Football Union players Deaths from dementia in Canada Sportspeople from North Bay, Ontario Canadian military personnel of World War II {{Canadianfootball-runningback-stub