Daniel "Danny" Kepley (born August 24, 1953) is a former star

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

for the Edmonton Eskimos of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

. Kepley played college football at East Carolina University. He tried out with the NFL's

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before starting a 10-year career with the Eskimos from 1975 to 1984. He was an intense player and hard tackler. Teamed with fellow linebackers Dale Potter and Tom Towns for 8 seasons, this trio formed the backbone of a defence that played in 7

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) 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 be ...

games, winning six championships. Kepley won 3 CFL's

Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award The Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award is annually awarded to the best defensive player in the Canadian football League. The winner of the award is selected by members of the Football Reporters of Canada along with the head coaches in the CFL. ...

s and was an All Star 5 times. Following retirement, Kepley spent the 1985 season as an assistant coach with the Eskimos. He began a real estate career, worked as a football analyst on both radio ( CFRN) and television ( CBC,

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), and from 2002 to 2010 was an assistant coach with the Eskimos. Kepley has struggled with

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

and in 2000 spent time in jail for

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, his fifth such offence.Back in football heaven - Despite defeat, Dan Kepley is thankful to be part of the game again, Perry Lefko, Toronto Sun, Nov. 25, 2002. Kepley was inducted into 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 great achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about t ...

in 1996, and in 2006 was named one of the CFL's Top 50 players (#11) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network

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/TSN.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kepley, Danny 1953 births Living people American players of Canadian football Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Canadian Football League announcers Canadian football linebackers Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award winners East Carolina Pirates football players Edmonton Elks coaches Edmonton Elks players People from Albemarle, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina