Dave Thelen

Dave Thelen

Date of birth	(1936-09-02) September 2, 1936
Place of birth	East Canton, Ohio, U.S.
Career information
Status	Retired
CFL status	International
Position(s)	RB
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg)
US college	Miami (Ohio)
NFL draft	1958 / round: 27 / pick: 324
Drafted by	Cleveland Browns
Career history
As player
1958–1964	Ottawa Rough Riders
1965–1966	Toronto Argonauts
CFL East All-Star	1959, 1960, 1963–1966
Career stats
Canadian Football Hall of Fame, 1989

David Thelen (born September 2, 1936) is a former Canadian Football League (CFL) running back for the Ottawa Rough Riders and the Toronto Argonauts. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

Dave Thelen played semi-pro baseball and was drafted by the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball and by the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League before joining the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League in 1958.

During his 9-year career, Thelen rushed for 8,463 yards on 1,530 carries and scored 47 touchdowns. His best years were 1959 to 1961, when he rushed for over 1,000 yards for 3 straight years. He was the CFL’s leading rusher in 1960 with 1407 yards (5.7 yards/rush) and the eastern conference leader in 1959 and 1965. In one game in 1960, he carried 33 times for 209 yards against the Toronto Argonauts. That year, he was part of the 48th Grey Cup winning team. In 1965, Thelen was replaced by Bo Scott and traded to the Toronto Argonauts, playing his final two years with them.