Kenneth Charlton (April 20, 1920 – May 1, 2004) was a

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)#Offen ...

for the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

, and is 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 great achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about t ...

, where he was elected in 1992. He was also named to the Roughriders Plaza of Honour and to the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.

Career

Ken Charlton grew up in Regina and played high school football at Central Collegiate. He played his junior football with the Regina West End Juniors (1938) and Regina Park Dale (1939-40). He signed with the

Regina Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

in 1941 and was named to the CFL All-Star team his rookie year. Charlton joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and was stationed in Winnipeg, so he became a member of the

Winnipeg RCAF Bombers The Winnipeg RCAF Bombers were a Canadian football team during World War II. They lost the 30th Grey Cup and 31st Grey Cup games. In 1942, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers didn't have any competition for the regular season so they created their own comp ...

on their way for the Grey Cup. Charlton returned to football after a hiatus during the war, joining the Roughriders in 1943 and making the CFL All-Star team once more. He joined the

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine ...

the following year as a halfback and punter, and was a member of the CFL All-Star team in 1945 and 1946. Charlton returned to Saskatchewan and finished his career with the

from 1948 to 1954. Charlton rushed for 498 yards on 76 attempts in 1950, and his 19.1 yard average per pass reception was the best in the West. In 1953, he averaged 42.2 yards per punt and was the West's leading punt returner with a 12.1 yard average. He was captain of the Roughriders for four years and appeared in his second Grey Cup in 1951. He was a member of the CFL All-Star team with the Roughriders in 1948, 1949, 1950, and 1951. He was a member of the CFL team that toured Korea in 1954, and retired later that year. Charlton was inducted into the

in 1992 and the Saskatchewan Roughrider Plaza of Honour in 1988 for his outstanding football career. He was inducted in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame on June 14, 1986. And in 2004 in the Regina Sports Hall of Fame as Honourary Inductee.

Awards

* All-Western Flying Wing: 1941 * All-Eastern Flying Wing: 1945, 1946 * All-Western Running Back: 1948, 1949 * Grey Cup Participation: 1942, 1951

References

1920 births 2004 deaths Canadian football running backs Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Ottawa Rough Riders players Players of Canadian football from Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Roughriders players Sportspeople from Regina, Saskatchewan {{Canadianfootball-runningback-stub

Career

Awards

Further reading

References