Hall of Fame
A native of Fort Wayne, IN, the late Johnny Bright was a three-time, first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference choice, earning first-team All-American honors from the AFCA in 1951.
Bright established the NCAA career total offense record with 5,903 yards. He set the NCAA single-season total offense record with 2,400 yards in 1950 – a mark which stood until 1964.
Bright, who posted an NCAA total offense per game average of 266.7 yards a contest in 1950, scored 40 touchdowns during his career, including 18 as a junior.
During his illustrious career, Bright compiled four Drake single-game records, nine single-season marks and six career records.
Inducted into the 1984 National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame, Bright finished fifth in the 1951 Heisman Trophy balloting.
Also in 1951, Bright played in the Shrine East-West game and the Hula Bowl and was tabbed the recipient of the Swede Nelson Award by the Gridiron Club of Boston to signify outstanding sportsmanship.
Despite being selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, Bright played with Calgary and Edmonton in the Canadian Football League.
A six-time CFL All-Star and an MVP selection in 1959, he led Edmonton to Grey Cup victories 1954-56. He was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 1970.
Bright, who received a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Drake in 1952, died on Dec. 14, 1983, in Edmonton, Alberta.