Leon Bright - Another Very Classy Former BC Lion

[Toppy Vann]

Leon Bright is coaching in Florida - Daytona Thunder of the World Indoor Football League. Look at that write up on him and how much it speaks to his time in the CFL.

When he was a guest coach at SFU for a seaon with Chris Beaton his locker was next to mine and he always spoke glowingly and with pride about his days in the CFL and how much fun he had playing in Canada and the CFL game. He chose to get his coaching debut in Canada that got him going back home in the USA.

It was simply a business decision for him. Play 3rd downs as an extra receiver and run back kicks for whopping better money with the NY Giants. He reminded me of the character of Willie Fleming who was brought up on another thread here.

http://dbthunderfootball.com/index.php?pid=86

http://www.wifl.ezstream.com/
Podcasts... watch them on the internet. Not sure if free but check it out. Season starts now.


LEON BRIGHT
Head Coach/Director of Football Operations

Career Stats

Former New York Giant, Tampa Bay Buc and Canadian Football League Hall of Famer Leon Bright is the Head Coach/Director of Football Operations for the Daytona Beach Thunder.

Bright is a resident of DeLand and is currently the director for the Chisholm Community Center. He?s been active in the West Volusia community for numerous years.

A native of Merritt Island, Bright was one of Florida?s top high school running backs, scoring 75 touchdowns during his three-year career that saw him garner three All-State and two national All-American honors.

He went on to become a two-year letterman at Florida State University and still holds the record for longest kickoff return, a 100-yarder against Virginia Tech in the 1974 season finale in which he also caught a 55-yard touchdown pass.

Bright led the Seminoles in all-purpose yards (1,074) in 1974, rushing for 105 yards in a 21-14 victory over Miami.

In 1975, Bright was FSU?s leading rusher with a pair of 100-yard games (a career-high 138 yards against Utah State and 102 against Texas Tech)

In 1977, he opted to venture north to the Canadian Football League, where he was named Rookie of The Year and an All-Pro receiver for the British Columbia Lions.

As a rookie, Bright led the Lions with 816 receiving yards and 419 punt return yards and added a 100-yard Kickoff return touchdown. In addition to rookie of the year honors, he was named to the Western Conference and CFL All-Star Teams.

His 28.1 yard kickoff return and 14.8 yard punt return averages are the best in BC Lions history. He still ranks third overall with a career mark of 4,502 return yards in just four seasons with the club and maintains the franchise record for kick return TDs (5).

Bright?s four seasons with the Lions were as a part of a corps of players that returned the franchise to success. Fans voted him to CFL Hall of Fame as a member of their "Dream Team.?

In 1981, Bright joined the New York Giants and spent three seasons there under the tutelage of then assistants Bill Parcells, Bill Bellichik and Romeo Crennel, who are now the head coaches of the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns. He caught a touchdown pass in the Giants? 1981 wild card playoff victory.

His playing days concluded with two seasons with the Bucs in the final days of the John McKay era.

After his playing days, Bright settled in DeLand and has served as an assistant coach at DeLand High School, Atlantic High School and Lighthouse Christian Academy. He was briefly involved in women?s football, serving as head coach for the Orlando Fire of the Women?s American Football League in 2001 that finished 7-3 and won a division title.

In the community, Bright has been active with the Stewart-Marchman Center, which helps individuals overcome substance abuse.

Bright is married to the former Tammy McGee. He has five children ? Tracy, Darron, Phillip, Leon and Ashley.

[PigSkin_53]

Yes Toppy...

My fondest memories of Leon Bright's thrilling and electrifying runbacks will always be remembered while pulling gear in the cockpit of west coast salmon trollers 12 miles off-shore, La Peruse Bank, Vancouver Island in the late 70's.

Roy DeWalt was a young second-stringer behind Joe Paopao, but was finding his way to starter when Joe was showing ineffectiveness.

No matter the field position and particularly when hemmed deep into our own end is when Leon would shine most brightly (pun intended).

On an otherwise ordinary run-of-the-pack CFL team Leon was one of the most outstanding features of the Lions, along with an up and coming punt/place kicker named Lui Passaglia.

Our special teams were second to none in those days...

We could certainly use a punt/kick-off returned like Leon Bright
again Toppy.

Thanks for the memories!

[nelson95]

Favorite Lion ever (besides relatives 8) )