Education
University of Kansas.
University of Kansas.
He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2005. Pless played his college football at the University of Kansas. As a Jayhawk starter for only three years (1983 to 1985) he amassed an amazing 633 tackles.
This is not recognized as a record, as the National Collegiate Athletic Association officially counted tackles starting in 2000, but the present leader (Rod Davis) has only 526.
Being 5 feet 10 inches tall, 210 pounds, Pless was not drafted by the NFL. He would later (in 1990) try out for the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs, but otherwise, his entire 14 year, 250 game, career was played in Canada. Willie was an All Big Eight Academic first team and was elected as the all-time best linebacker in the history of Big Eight after it became the Big Twelve.
Willie Pless may be the best defensive player ever to play in the Canadian Football League. He played for 4 teams: Toronto Argonauts for 4 years (1986 to 1989), Lions for 1990, Edmonton Eskimos for (1991 to 1998) and finally the Saskatchewan Roughriders (1999). He holds the league record for most tackles (1,241).
Canadian Football League outstanding defensive player: 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 Pless has settled in Edmonton and runs a personal trainer business.
Canadian Football League outstanding defensive player: 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 West Division outstanding defensive player: 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 East Division outstanding rookie: 1986 Canadian Football League All-Star: 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998. West Division All-Star: 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 North Division All-Star: 1995 British Columbia Lions outstanding player: 1990 Edmonton Eskimos outstanding player: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 Toronto Argonauts outstanding defensive player: 1986, 1988 British Columbia Lions outstanding defensive player: 1990 Edmonton Eskimos outstanding defensive player: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 Saskatchewan Roughriders outstanding defensive player: 1999 Toronto Argonauts outstanding rookie: 1986 Grey Cup participation: 1987, 1993, 1996 Grey Cup victories: 1993 He is a member of the University of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2005. In November, 2006, Willie Pless was voted one of the Canadian Football League"s Top 50 players (#16) of the league"s modern era by Canadian sports network The Sports Network/TSN.
He is a member of the University of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
