Jim Heighton

James Heighton (September 22, 1944 – December 9, 2023) was a Canadian football player who was a defensive lineman during thirteen seasons in the Canadian Football League, mainly for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was a CFL West All-Star in 1971, 1974, and 1976, and was also named to the 1972 and 1974 Western Conference All-Star teams as selected by the Football Reporters of Canada. In 1974 and 1976, he won the Dr Bert Oja Award as the Bombers' Most Valuable Lineman. Heighton was also a three-time Schenley award nominee (1974 Most Outstanding Canadian; 1974 Most Outstanding Defenseman; 1976 Most Outstanding Canadian). In 2014, he was inducted into the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Hall of Fame.

Jim Heighton

Date of birth	(1944-09-22)September 22, 1944
Place of birth	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Date of death	December 9, 2023(2023-12-09) (aged 79)
Place of death	British Columbia, Canada
Career information
Status	Retired
CFL status	National
Position(s)	DE
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	252 lb (114 kg)
Career history
As player
1969	BC Lions
1970–1978	Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1979–1980	Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1981	Montreal Alouettes
CFL West All-Star	1971, 1972, 1974, 1976

As a Masters athlete in Track and Field, Heighton won eight gold medals at the national level in weight throw, hammer throw, shot put and pentathlon (2008, 2013). He was twice inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame (2009, 2011) as a player for the Giroux Athletics and for the Grosse Isle Blue Jays championship baseball teams. An all-round athlete, Heighton also played on several medal-winning amateur basketball and soccer teams, and was an owner/breeder/racer of thoroughbred horses.

In 2016, he was named to the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame. He died from complications from dementia on December 9, 2023, at the age of 79.

External links

• CFL All-Star teams