John Jacob "Jack" Abendschan Jr. (born December 18, 1942) is a former Canadian Football League offensive lineman and placekicker who played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1965 through 1975.[1]
Professional career
Jack Abendschan began his career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1965 and remained with them throughout his 11-year CFL career. Abendschan played offensive guard and except for 1968, he played all 16 games of the regular season every year from 1965 to 1973.[2][3]
Abendschan was also an accurate placekicker. His best field goal percentage was 63.2% (24 of 38) in 1970, his next best 60.7% (17 of 28) in 1967, considered very good for the era.
In 1968 Abendschan signed a contract with the Denver Broncos of the American Football League (AFL) but did not make the roster and he resumed his CFL career.[4]
Abendschan was part of the 54th Grey Cup championship-winning Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1966 over the Ottawa Rough Riders 29-14, in which he converted their 4 touchdowns.[5] He also played in the 55th Grey Cup the following year, the 57th Grey Cup of 1969, and the 60th Grey Cup of 1972, losses to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1967 and 1972 and to Ottawa in 1969.
During Abendschan's time as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, he was named to the CFL's All-Star team 5 times.[1] In 2012, he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Videos
Canadian Football Hall of Fame member on YouTube
Seen in game 3 of the 1970 Western Conference finals in its entirety on YouTube
References
- ^ a b "The 1966 Roughriders". The Leader-Post. 2006-06-27. Archived from the original on 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
- ^ "Jack Abendschan".
- ^ "Jack Abendschan CFL Stats and Bio". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ John Duxbury and Larry Shainman (eds.), Football Register, 1968. St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1968; p. 3.
- ^ "Saskatchewan Wins Grey Cup For First Time". The Montreal Gazette. 1966-11-28. Retrieved 2011-01-20.