View source for Ken Ploen

{{Short description|American gridiron football player (1935–2024)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox CFL player
|image =
|import=yes
|birth_date={{birth date|1935|6|3}}
|birth_place=[[Lost Nation, Iowa]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|2024|2|13|1935|6|3}}
|death_place=[[Winnipeg]], Manitoba, Canada
|position1=Quarterback
|number=11, 89
|high_school=[[Clinton High School (Iowa)|Clinton]]<br>(Clinton, Iowa)
|College=[[Iowa Hawkeyes football|Iowa]]
|Height_ft=6
|Height_in=3
|Weight_lbs=200
|NFLDraftedYear=1957 
|NFLDraftedRound=19
|NFLDraftedPick=222
|NFLDraftedTeam=[[Cleveland Browns]]
|career_highlights=
* 4× [[Grey Cup]] champion ([[46th Grey Cup|1958]], [[47th Grey Cup|1959]], [[49th Grey Cup|1961]], [[50th Grey Cup|1962]])
* [[Grey Cup MVP]] (1961)
* Second-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1956 College Football All-America Team|1956]])
* [[Chicago Tribune Silver Football]] (1956)
* First-team [[List of All-Big Ten Conference football teams|All-Big Ten]] ([[1956 All-Big Ten Conference football team|1956]])
|CFLAllStar={{CFL Year|1965}}
|CFLWestAllStar={{CFL Year|1957}}, {{CFL Year|1959}}, {{CFL Year|1965}}
|Awards=
|playing_years1={{CFL Year|1957|1967}}
|playing_team1=[[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]]
|CollegeHOF=
| CFHOF = ken-ploen
|CFHOFYear=1975
}}

'''Kenneth Ploen''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|size=100%|OM}} (June 3, 1935 – February 13, 2024) was an American professional [[gridiron football|football]] player who was a star [[quarterback]] and safety for the [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]] of the [[Canadian Football League]] (CFL). The [[Lost Nation, Iowa]] native played the same positions in [[college football]] for the [[Iowa Hawkeyes football|Iowa Hawkeyes]] approximately 60 minutes from his birthplace. 

In September 2009,  Ploen was recognized in a vote of the fans and by the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as the Most Outstanding CFL Player of the 1960s. [citation needed] He and [[Warren Moon]] are the only players to be selected to the [[Rose Bowl Hall of Fame]] and [[Canadian Football Hall of Fame]] and be part of multiple [[Grey Cup]] championships.

==College football==
On the heels of a seventh-place finish in the [[Big Ten Conference]], the [[University of Iowa]] squad suddenly came of age in the 1956 season. The major step forward coincided with the emergence of Ploen, whose uncanny escapability, adroit ball-handling and senior leadership fueled the Wing-T offense that soon became the scourge of the Midwest. The Hawkeyes rolled to a 9-1 record, captured their first conference title in 35 years and made their first bowl appearance in school history. Ploen was named an [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] and the [[Chicago Tribune Silver Football|Big Ten Player of the Year]] and finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy vote. 

The exclamation point was a 35-19 dismantling of the [[Oregon State Beavers]] in the [[1957 Rose Bowl|1957]] [[Rose Bowl Game]] in Pasadena, Calif. Ploen set the tone on a scintillating 49-yard touchdown run less than five minutes into the contest, completed 9-of-10 passes for another TD, played safety on defense and saw action on the kickoff and extra-point teams. Late in the first period, he sustained a knee injury on defense and was carried off the field, only to return for the second half and be chosen the Rose Bowl [[Most Valuable Player]] in his final college game. {{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

==Canadian Football League==
Ploen was one of several Iowa players who had been recruited heavily by [[Bud Grant]], the former [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]] offensive end who would be hired as their head coach prior to the 1957 campaign. So while Ploen was selected by the far more visible and established [[Cleveland Browns]] in the 19th round of the [[1957 NFL draft]], it was no surprise that he signed with the [[Canadian Football League]] club on June 10, 1957 instead.<ref name="1957 NFL Draft Pick Transactions">{{cite web | url= https://www.prosportstransactions.com/football/DraftTrades/Years/1957.htm | title= 1957 NFL Draft Pick Transactions | accessdate=March 9, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Winnipeg Signs Browns' Draftee">{{cite web | url= https://infoweb-newsbank-com.ezproxy2.cpl.org/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&t=favorite%3APlainDealer%21Plain%2520Dealer%252C%2520The&sort=YMD_date%3AA&maxresults=20&f=advanced&val-base-0=%22Ploen%22&fld-base-0=alltext&bln-base-1=and&val-base-1=1957&fld-base-1=YMD_date&docref=image/v2%3A122AFBBA107AC9E4%40EANX-NB-1276D5B0678E9D5A%402436001-1276937D01576E91%4030-1276937D01576E91%40 | title= Winnipeg Signs Browns' Draftee | accessdate=March 9, 2021}}</ref> Whereas the Browns believed his future to be at defensive back, Ploen was assured by the Blue Bombers that he would compete at the quarterback position.  

The career decision couldn't have turned out much better for Ploen, a three-time CFL divisional All-Star {{citation needed|date=September 2018}} who led the Blue Bombers to six Grey Cup appearances in a span of nine years, winning four ([[46th Grey Cup|1958]], [[47th Grey Cup|1959]], [[49th Grey Cup|1961]], [[50th Grey Cup|1962]]) and losing two ([[45th Grey Cup|1957]], [[53rd Grey Cup|1965]]). 

In the [[49th Grey Cup]] game (1961), Ploen scored one of the most memorable touchdowns in Canadian football history. In overtime, his team locked in a tense 14-14 battle with the [[Hamilton Tiger-Cats]], the quarterback eluded several defenders on an eighteen-yard run to the endzone (see video below). The play proved to be the decisive touchdown in a 21-14 victory in which he was chosen [[Grey Cup Most Valuable Player]].

Ploen and the Blue Bombers rode the wave of their 1961 success into the next season, when the veteran turned in the most dominant performance of his career. The veteran set career highs in touchdown passes (17), pass completion percentage (.659) and passer rating (118.2) and led his team past Hamilton 28-27 in a Grey Cup rematch of the previous season. 

In a career that spanned 156 games, Ploen completed 56.6 percent of 1,916 passes for 16,470 yards and 119 touchdowns. He gained 3,001 yards on 588 attempts (5.1 yards per carry) and scored 13 TDs on the ground. On defense, he intercepted 17 passes, which he returned for 216 yards. 

Ploen was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1975, the [[Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum]] in 1987, the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1997, and the [[Iowa Sports Hall of Fame]] in 2002.  In 2005, Ploen was named one of the Blue Bombers 20 All-Time Greats.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

==Life after football==
After Ploen retired from football, he and his wife Janet made Winnipeg their home. He worked as a sales representative and local radio [[colour commentator]] for Blue Bombers games.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

In 2007, he was awarded the [[Order of Manitoba]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lg.gov.mb.ca/activities/news/2007/ordermb07.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184315/http://lg.gov.mb.ca/activities/news/2007/ordermb07.html |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |title=Twelve People to Receive Order of Manitoba |date=May 11, 2007 |work=Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba official web site}}</ref>

In June 2011, the CFL announced the west entry service road off Chancellor Matheson Road next to the [[New Winnipeg Blue Bombers Stadium|new Winnipeg Blue Bombers stadium]] will be named ''Ken Ploen Way'', to honour the former Blue Bombers quarterback and Canadian Football Hall of Famer. Ploen was also honoured at half-time, during the Blue Bombers’ first 2011 home preseason game, where the street sign was unveiled.<ref>[https://www.cfl.ca/article/bombers-announce-ken-ploen-way Bombers announce 'Ken Ploen Way']. CFL Official Site, 23 June 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2011.</ref>

In 2012 in honour of the [[100th Grey Cup]], [[Canada Post]] used his image on a series of commemorative postage stamps. The image was also used on presentation posters and other materials to promote the Grey Cup game and other celebrations associated with the centennial.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

Ploen died in Winnipeg on February 13, 2024, at the age of 88.<ref>{{cite news |title=CFL and Bombers legend Kenny Ploen dead at 88 |url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/this-just-in/bombers-legend-ploen-dead-at-88 |access-date=13 February 2024 |publisher=Winnipeg Free Press |date=13 February 2024}}</ref> He suffered from dementia in his later years.<ref>{{cite web|title=Just Ploen great: Bombers legend passes, at 88|url=https://winnipegsun.com/sports/football/cfl/winnipeg-bluebombers/just-ploen-great-bombers-legend-passes-at-88|publisher=Winnipeg Sun|date=February 13, 2024|last=Friesen|first=Paul|access-date=February 13, 2024}}</ref>

“Ken Ploen was the face of the Blue Bombers for years and then became a part of the fabric of this community following his playing days,” Winnipeg Football Club President & CEO [[Wade Miller]] said in a statement. “He was a four-time Grey Cup champion as a player and a great ambassador for our franchise and our city.”

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Iowa Hawkeyes starting quarterbacks}}
{{Browns1957DraftPicks}}
{{Winnipeg Blue Bombers starting quarterback navbox}}
{{Chicago Tribune Silver Football navbox}}
{{46th Grey Cup}}
{{47th Grey Cup}}
{{49th Grey Cup}}
{{50th Grey Cup}}
{{Grey Cup Most Valuable Player}}
{{Canadian Football Hall of Fame members}}
{{Winnipeg Blue Bombers Ring of Honour}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ploen, Ken}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:American emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:Players of Canadian football from Iowa]]
[[Category:Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Canadian Football League announcers]]
[[Category:Canadian football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:Iowa Hawkeyes football players]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Manitoba]]
[[Category:People from Lost Nation, Iowa]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Iowa]]
[[Category:American sports announcers]]
[[Category:Winnipeg Blue Bombers players]]