Rick Klassen
| Date of birth | July 25, 1959 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Sardis, British Columbia |
| Date of death | December 10, 2016 (aged 57) |
| Place of death | Maple Ridge, British Columbia |
| Career information | |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | DT |
| University | Simon Fraser University |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1981–1987 1989–1990 |
BC Lions BC Lions |
| 1988 | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| CFL West All-Star | 1985 |
Richard Danny "Rick" Klassen (July 25, 1959 – December 10, 2016) was a defensive lineman who played in the Canadian Football League for the BC Lions from 1981–1987, 1989–1990 and Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1988.
In 2003, Klassen was voted a member of the B.C. Lions All-Time Dream Team, at defensive tackle, as part of the team's 50th season anniversary celebration. On July 19, 2007, he was inducted onto B.C. Lions Wall of Fame at BC Place Stadium as a part of the 1985 Grey Cup championship team. He died from cancer in 2016.
Klassen was recruited by Simon Fraser University as a running back from Sardis High School, Chilliwack, B.C., and played his four years of college football with the Clan.
Klassen chose to play his football at SFU because, during the 1970s and 1980s, it was considered the best football school in Canada and has produced over 160 football players who have gone on to play pro football. In his freshman year, Klassen served as the Clan's backup running back, behind all-star Rick House but, during off-season training between his freshman and sophomore year, he went from 195 to 225 pounds and was immediately switched to the Clan's offensive line. He spent the rest of his three years at SFU at offensive guard.
Klassen was drafted in 1981 as an offensive guard by the British Columbia Lions as a territorial draft pick. Eight games into the 1981 CFL season, head coach Vic Rapp saw Klassen's potential on the defensive side of the ball and he switched him to defensive tackle after defensive lineman Rick Goltz suffered a season-ending injury. In the 1981 Western Semi-Final, his first ever CFL playoff game, Klassen picked up three sacks against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and helped the Lions win 15-11 in an upset at Winnipeg Stadium. The next week in Edmonton, Klassen played in his first ever Western Final. B.C. almost pulled off the unbelievable but fell short against the Edmonton Eskimos dynasty, as Warren Moon hit Brian Kelly for a late touchdown to beat the Lions, 22-16. Klassen played at the defensive tackle position until the 1983 season, when newly hired head coach Don Matthews put him at rush end in his 3-4 defense. In 1984, however, when Matthews, former Edmonton defensive co-ordinator, traded for James "Quick" Parker from the Eskimos, Klassen again switched positions. He was put back inside at defensive tackle, where he stayed for the rest of his CFL career. In June 1983 he retired from football due to a contract dispute, but returned nine-days later.
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