View source for Bill Frank

{{Short description|American gridiron football player (1938–2014)}}
{{Other uses|William Frank (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox CFL biography
| name = 
| image = 
| alt = 
| caption = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|4|13}}
| birth_place = [[Denver]], Colorado, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2014|6|26|1938|4|13}}
| death_place = [[White Rock, British Columbia]], Canada
| number = 64
| import = yes
| position1 = Offensive tackle
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 5
| weight_lb = 255
| high_school = [[West High School (Denver)|West (CO)]]
| college = [[University of Colorado at Boulder|Colorado]]
| AFLDraftedYear = 1963
| AFLDraftedRound = 24
| AFLDraftedPick = 186
| AFLDraftedTeam = [[San Diego Chargers]]
| NFLDraftedYear = 1963
| NFLDraftedRound = 18
| NFLDraftedPick = 244
| NFLDraftedTeam = [[Dallas Cowboys]]
| playing_years1 = {{CFL Year|1962}}–{{CFL Year|1964}}
| playing_team1 = [[BC Lions]]
| playing_years2 = {{NFL Year|1964}}
| playing_team2 = [[Dallas Cowboys]] (NFL)
| playing_years3 = {{CFL Year|1965}}–{{CFL Year|1968}}
| playing_team3 = [[Toronto Argonauts]]
| playing_years4 = {{CFL Year|1968}}–{{CFL Year|1976}}
| playing_team4 = [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]]
| career_highlights = 
| CFLAllStar = {{CFL Year|1966}}, {{CFL Year|1967}}, {{CFL Year|1968}}, {{CFL Year|1970}}–{{CFL Year|1973}}
| CFLEastAllStar = {{CFL Year|1966}}, {{CFL Year|1967}}
| CFLWestAllStar = {{CFL Year|1968}}, {{CFL Year|1970}}–{{CFL Year|1973}}
| NFL = FRA342758
| DatabaseFootball = FRANKBIL01
| CFHOF = bill-frank
| CFHOFYear = 2001
}}

'''William B. Frank, Jr.''' (April 13, 1938 – June 26, 2014) was a [[Canadian football]] [[offensive tackle]] in the [[Canadian Football League]] (CFL) for the [[BC Lions]], [[Toronto Argonauts]] and [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]]. He also was a member of the [[Dallas Cowboys]] in the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played [[college football]] at the [[University of Colorado at Boulder|University of Colorado]]. He is a member of the [[Canadian Football Hall of Fame]].

==Early years==
Frank attended [[West High School (Denver)|West High School]]. He enrolled at [[San Diego City College|San Diego Junior College]] in 1959, where he was named to the [[junior college]] [[All-American]] team.

After his sophomore season he transferred to the [[University of Colorado at Boulder|University of Colorado]], playing until he was declared ineligible when the school was placed on probation by the NCAA in 1962.<ref name="Reading Eagle">{{citation|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19641104&id=qllWAAAAIBAJ&pg=5275,2655908|title=Dallas Gets Tackle From Vancouver|agency=Associated Press|date=November 4, 1964|work=Reading Eagle|access-date=July 14, 2018}}</ref><ref name="cfl">{{cite web|title=Bill Frank|publisher=Canadian Football League|url=https://www.cfl.ca/page/hall-of-fame-bill-frank|access-date=July 14, 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913044313/http://www.cfl.ca/page/hall-of-fame-bill-frank|archive-date=2012-09-13}}</ref> He was named a member of Colorado's all-time all-star team. He was also practiced [[wrestling]].

==Professional career==

===BC Lions (CFL)===
Frank began his 15-year CFL career with the [[BC Lions]] in 1962 and was a part of the [[1963 Grey Cup]].<ref name="cfhof">{{cite web|title=Bill Frank|publisher=Canadian Football Hall of Fame|url=http://www.cfhof.ca/members/bill-frank/|access-date=July 14, 2018}}</ref> He played both offense and defense.

===Dallas Cowboys===
Frank was selected by the [[Dallas Cowboys]] in the 18th round (244th overall) of the [[1963 NFL draft]] and the [[San Diego Chargers]] in the 24th round (186th overall) of the [[1963 AFL Draft]]. Because he still was under contract in the [[Canadian Football League]], the Cowboys had to additionally trade [[running back]] [[Amos Bullocks]] to the [[BC Lions]] in exchange for Frank's playing rights.<ref>{{citation|title=As Als' Fullback|author=Bob Scott|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19660806&id=XsQtAAAAIBAJ&pg=6826,1092026|work=The Montreal Gazette|date=Aug 6, 1966|access-date=July 14, 2018}}</ref> To complicate matters further, he signed a contract with the [[San Diego Chargers]] of the [[American Football League]], who selected him in the 24th round (186th overall) of the [[1963 AFL Draft]]. The deal was eventually voided by [[American Football League]] commissioner [[Joe Foss]].<ref name="Reading Eagle"/>

In [[1964 NFL season|1964]], he joined the Cowboys in the week of the ninth game and played in four contests as a backup. He was waived on September 7, [[1965 NFL season|1965]].<ref>{{citation|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19650909&id=Z6UtAAAAIBAJ&pg=5716,1636709|title=Ti-Cats' Hoerster Surprised After Trade To Saskatchewan|work=The Montreal Gazette|date=Sep 9, 1965|author=The Canadian Press|author-link=The Canadian Press|access-date=July 14, 2018}}</ref>

===Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)===
In 1965, he was signed in middle of the season to play [[offensive tackle]] for the [[Toronto Argonauts]]. He played in his first game without any practice time and just hours after arriving from the airport.

In 1968, he held out during training camp and was traded to the [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]], where he played until 1976.  He was an All-star seven times.<ref name="cfhof"/> Frank was named to the Argonauts' quarter-century team, the Blue Bombers' all-time dream team, and in November 2006 was voted one of the CFL's [[TSN Top 50 CFL Players|Top 50 players]] (#49) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network [[The Sports Network|TSN]].<ref>{{cite web|title=TSN Top 50 CFL Players|publisher=The Sports Network|access-date=July 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929164528/http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/feature/?fid=10860|archive-date=September 29, 2007|url=https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/feature/?fid=10860|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Frank spent four years in the [[Marines]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} On June 26, 2014, he died in his sleep while at his home in [[White Rock, British Columbia]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Zicarelli |first=Frank |url=https://torontosun.com/2014/06/26/bill-frank-an-unsung-force-for-argos-bombers-lions/wcm/bd40acc4-1ac9-4ee8-bdec-364f0434abdc |title=Bill Frank, an unsung force for Argos, Bombers and Lions, dies at 76 &#124; Argonauts |publisher=Torontosun.com |date=2014-06-13 |access-date=July 14, 2018}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
* CFL All-Star team (offensive tackle) - 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973<ref name="cfl"/>
* Eastern All-Star (offensive tackle) - 1966, 1967, 1968<ref name="cfl"/>
* Western All-Star (offensive tackle) - 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973<ref name="cfl"/>
* [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]] Hall of Fame - 1990<ref name="cfl"/>
* [[Canadian Football Hall of Fame]] - 2001<ref name="cfhof"/>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{San Diego Chargers 1963 draft navbox}}
{{Cowboys1963DraftPicks}}
{{Canadian Football Hall of Fame members}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frank, Bill}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Denver]]
[[Category:American football offensive tackles]]
[[Category:Players of Canadian football from Denver]]
[[Category:BC Lions players]]
[[Category:Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Canadian football offensive linemen]]
[[Category:San Diego City Knights football players]]
[[Category:Colorado Buffaloes football players]]
[[Category:Dallas Cowboys players]]
[[Category:Toronto Argonauts players]]
[[Category:Winnipeg Blue Bombers players]]
[[Category:United States Marines]]