Oskar Kruger (December 24, 1932 – July 4, 2010) was a defensive back for the Edmonton Eskimos from 1954 to 1965 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 ...

. Brought up in Edmonton, Kruger played for the

Edmonton Wildcats The Edmonton Wildcats (formerly the Edmonton Maple Leafs) are Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The Wildcats play in the Prairie Football Conference, which is part of the Canadian Junior Football League and competes for the league ...

in 1953 and then in 1954 for the Edmonton Eskimos. He played 12 seasons at safety and ended his career with 46 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries. Kruger was also a boxing champion for Alberta. While playing football, he attended the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...

from which he graduated with a law degree. He was a Western Conference All-Star in 1957, 1958, 1961, and 1962 and also led the league in interceptions 3 times. In particular, he intercepted 7 balls each year from 1956 to 1958 and 6 balls in 1961 and 1963. He was also a punt returner, especially at the start of his career. In 1963, Kruger was named the Eskimos’ Top Canadian before retiring in 1965. His name is honoured on the Edmonton Eskimos Wall of Honour on the Commonwealth Stadium. After his football career, Kruger practiced law in Edmonton after obtaining his degree from the University of Alberta. Kruger contested the

1967 Alberta general election The 1967 Alberta general election was held on May 23, 1967, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to the 16th Alberta Legislature. The election was called after the 15th Alberta Legislature was prorogued on April 11, 1967, and ...

in the Strathcona South constituency as a member of the

Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta (often referred to colloquially as Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta) was a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta that existed from 1905 to 2020. The party ...

. Kruger was defeated by Social Credit candidate Gerrit Radstaak.

References

1932 births 2010 deaths Canadian football defensive backs Edmonton Elks players Players of Canadian football from Alberta Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta candidates in Alberta provincial elections Canadian sportsperson-politicians Sportspeople from Edmonton University of Alberta Faculty of Law alumni {{Canadianfootball-defensiveback-stub