ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts Football Club is mourning the loss of one of the greatest players to ever don the Double Blue. Royal Copeland, one half of the famous ‘Gold Dust Twins’, passed away Monday morning after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s. He was 86 years old.
Commented Argos President & CEO Bob Nicholson, “Few players have achieved the prominence that Royal Copeland did as an Argonaut. His mastery of the game transcends his era and he was one of the first true star athletes in the city of Toronto. Our deepest sympathies go out to the Copeland family during this difficult time. His contributions and his memory will forever live on in Toronto Argonauts history.”
Copeland played 111 regular season and 14 playoff games with the Argos, winning four Grey Cups (1945,1946,1947,1952), including three consecutive championships. In 1988, the flashy halfback was inducted to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and was later named an All-Time Argonaut in 1997.
Copeland’s former teammate Arnie Stocks remarked, “In his day, he and Joe Krol were the tops around. He was as fast a player as there was at that time, and he was just as dangerous running both inside and on outside. He was one of those guys that you couldn’t help but like. He was a big star back then and everyone looked up to him, but he remained humble and never really looked at himself as famous. We will miss him.”
Copeland paired up with star player Joe Krol to form one of the most dangerous tandems in CFL history. The two earned the nickname The Gold Dust Twins for their blonde hair and the regularity with which each one could score with a quick pass or pitch to the other.
Copeland currently sits sixth all-time in playoff points scored (36), second all-time in career playoff touchdowns (6), tied for the most career Grey Cup touchdowns in a career with Red Storey (3) and has the most career Grey Cup reception touchdowns (2). On October 27, 1945, he set a new benchmark for most touchdowns in a single game for an Argonauts player when he recorded four (4). The record has since been matched by Derrell Mitchell and D.K. Smith, but it has not been broken. He is also the only player in Canadian Football League history to record a touchdown in three consecutive Grey Cup games (1945,46,47).
Commented Argos Football Consultant and former teammate Nick Volpe, “He was one of the best all-around athletes in terms of size, speed and agility, in the 1940s and 50s. He could play both ways; he was a great receiver and a great cover guy. Royal was a Greek Adonis. He looked the part and could play the part. His physique and ability would allow him to fit in on a roster even today. He was a tremendous person and friend.”
The four-time East Division All-Star was born and raised in Toronto and attended Humber College. As a halfback he played for the Toronto Navy – HMSC York in 1944. The Navy team was not a member of the Canadian Rugby Union and as a result could only play an exhibition schedule. Despite this, Copeland and his teammates defeated the eventual Grey Cup champion Montreal St. Hyacinthe-Donnacona Navy Combines. In addition to being a member of the Argonauts he was also a member of the Calgary Stampeders.
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