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Bill Munsey joined the BC Lions in 1963 out of the University of Minnesota where he had been a key player on a team that went to two Rose Bowls. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round, but ended up in BC, playing defensive back and backing up at fullback. While he had only one carry as a running back in his rookie season, he intercepted 5 passes and ran one fumble back for a TD. In his second season in 1964, Munsey had 9 interceptions and was named to both the West and CFL All-Star teams at defensive back. 1964 was also the year the Lions won their first Grey Cup and Munsey was an integral part of that win. Rookie fullback Bob Swift who had rushed for over a thousand yards in the regular season left the game with a broken leg and the Lions turned to Munsey. Munsey played both ways, scoring one touchdown on defense on a 71 yard fumble return on a lateral from Bernie Faloney to Johnny Counts that didn't connect. Munsey later added another toudhdown rushing and was named the outstanding player of the game. Swift never fully recovered from his broken leg, and was eventually traded to Toronto, with BC turning to Munsey again as a running back in 1965. In his first start on offense, he ran for 120 yards including a 48 yard TD run to lead the Lions to a 36-1 victory over Toronto. He ended the season with 475 yards rushing and six touchdowns though the Lions failed to make the playoffs. With an injury to Willie Fleming, Munsey became the number one running back on the Lions in 1966, finishing fourth in the West in rushing with 863 yards and four touchdowns. Finishing fourth in rushing in the West that years was not a bad accomplishment, considering the three guys who beat were named George Reed, Dave Raimey and Jim Thomas. 1967 was a year of transition for the Lions as they lost stars like Joe Kapp, Willie Fleming and Tom Brown. Munsey was one of the few bright lights in the 1967 season, rushing for 656 yards which was fifth best in the West. Munsey retired after the 1967 season.
Bill Munsey passed away on March 17, 2002.
Games Played and Rushing
| Year |
Team |
GP |
TC |
Yds |
Avg |
TD |
Long |
| 1963 |
BC |
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 1964 |
BC |
16 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 1965 |
BC |
15 |
104 |
475 |
4.5 |
6 |
48 |
| 1966 |
BC |
15 |
168 |
863 |
5 |
7 |
76 |
| 1967 |
BC |
14 |
136 |
656 |
4.6 |
0 |
57 |
Receiving
| Year |
Team |
Rec |
Yds |
Avg |
TD |
Long |
| 1963 |
BC |
1 |
14 |
14 |
0 |
14 |
| 1964 |
BC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 1965 |
BC |
15 |
84 |
5.6 |
0 |
16 |
| 1966 |
BC |
27 |
256 |
9.4 |
0 |
34 |
| 1967 |
BC |
29 |
228 |
7.9 |
0 |
23 |
Kickoff Returns
| Year |
Team |
KOR |
Yds |
Avg |
TD |
Long |
| 1963 |
BC |
4 |
109 |
27.3 |
0 |
39 |
| 1964 |
BC |
2 |
46 |
23 |
0 |
23 |
| 1965 |
BC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 1966 |
BC |
5 |
104 |
20.8 |
0 |
27 |
| 1967 |
BC |
6 |
164 |
27.3 |
0 |
46 |
Punt Returns
| Year |
Team |
PR |
Yds |
Avg |
TD |
Long |
| 1963 |
BC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 1964 |
BC |
1 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
| 1965 |
BC |
1 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
| 1966 |
BC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 1967 |
BC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Fumbles
| Year |
Team |
F |
FL |
| 1963 |
BC |
0 |
|
| 1964 |
BC |
0 |
|
| 1965 |
BC |
2 |
|
| 1966 |
BC |
1 |
|
| 1967 |
BC |
5 |
3 |
Fumble Returns
| Year |
Team |
FR |
Yds |
Avg |
TD |
Long |
OFR |
FF |
| 1963 |
BC |
2 |
|
|
1 |
|
0 |
|
| 1964 |
BC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| 1965 |
BC |
2 |
|
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
| 1966 |
BC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| 1967 |
BC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Interceptions
| Year |
Team |
Int |
Yds |
Avg |
TDInt |
Long |
| 1963 |
BC |
5 |
82 |
16.4 |
0 |
61 |
| 1964 |
BC |
9 |
129 |
14.3 |
0 |
33 |
| 1965 |
BC |
2 |
37 |
18.5 |
0 |
37 |
| 1966 |
BC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 1967 |
BC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
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