Canadian football player (1977–2024)
Burke Dales Date of birth (1977-02-16 ) February 16, 1977Place of birth Collingwood, Ontario , CanadaDate of death January 6, 2024(2024-01-06) (aged 46) Place of death Calgary, Alberta , CanadaCFL status National Position(s) P Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) Weight 225 lb (102 kg) US college Concordia NFL draft 2002 / undrafted2002 Pittsburgh Steelers *2003 Montreal Alouettes *2005 –2011 Calgary Stampeders 2012 –2013 Edmonton Eskimos 2013 Montreal Alouettes *Offseason and/or practice squad member only
CFL All-Star 2010 , 2011 CFL West All-Star 2006 , 2009 , 2010 , 2011 Honors
Burke Dales (February 16, 1977 – January 6, 2024) was a Canadian professional football player who was a punter in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played CIS Football with the Concordia Stingers . He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2002.
Over his nine-year career, Dales played for the Calgary Stampeders , Edmonton Eskimos , and Montreal Alouettes . Dales was born in Collingwood , Ontario , and raised in Brockville, Ontario .
Professional career
Pittsburgh Steelers
After playing at Concordia University , Dales attended the Pittsburgh Steelers 2002 training camp. He also tried to make the team as a kick-off specialist. When he placekicked, he used the straight-on style which had not been seen in the NFL since the 1980s.[ 1]
Montreal Alouettes
Dales attended Montreal Alouettes 's 2003 training camp[ 2] and sat out the remainder of the 2003 and 2004 seasons before signing with Calgary in 2005.[ 3]
Calgary Stampeders
Dales was signed as a free agent on March 8, 2005, by the Calgary Stampeders .[ 3]
Prior to the Stampeders' 96th Grey Cup victory in 2008, Dales was offered a new contract to re-sign with Calgary for the 2009 CFL season but withheld signing until seeing if he could get interest from a National Football League team.[ 4]
Dales re-signed with the Stampeders on March 24, 2009, after failing to gain interest from NFL teams and a reportedly higher offer from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers would have meant losing his off-season employment.[ 5] [ 6] [ 7] [ 8] [ 9]
Edmonton Eskimos
After becoming a free agent in 2012, Dales signed with the Edmonton Eskimos on February 19, 2012.[ 10]
On July 22, 2013, he was released by the Eskimos.[ 11]
Montreal Alouettes
On October 30, 2013, Dales was signed by the Montreal Alouettes .[ 12] [ 13]
Dales announced his retirement on May 16, 2014.[ 14]
Personal life and death
Dales' sister, Stacey , is a former Women's National Basketball Association [ 15] player who currently works as a reporter for NFL Network . His cousin Jason Arnott played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League .[ 16]
Dales died in January 2024, at the age of 46.[ 17]
References
^ Bouchette, Ed (May 22, 2002). "Steelers uncover old-style kicker" . Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 30, 2009 .
^ "Concordia Punter Joins the Alouettes - Burke Dales Will Try Out With Montreal" . Montreal Alouettes Football Club. January 15, 2003. Retrieved January 30, 2009 .
^ a b "Burke Dales P #16" . Roster . Calgary Stampeder Football Club. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2009 .
^ Cameron, Allen (January 22, 2009). "Dales puts faith in NFL networking" . Calgary Herald. Retrieved January 30, 2009 . [dead link ]
^ "Stampeders Sign P Dales to Contract Extension" . TSN.ca. Retrieved March 24, 2009 .
^ Penton, Kirk (February 17, 2009). "Shabazz to the rescue" . Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved February 17, 2009 .
^ Busby, Ian. "Dales deal not done yet". The Rouge.
^ "Kelly To Join Bob Tonight on "The Football Huddle" " . CJOB. February 17, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2009 .
^ Penton, Kirk (March 25, 2009). "Bomber punter bid blocked" . Winnipeg Sun. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2009 . {{cite news }}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link )
^ "Esks sign All-Star punter Dales" . Archived from the original on February 21, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2012 .
^ CFL Transactions July 2013 Archived September 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
^ CFL Transactions October 2013 Archived September 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Alouettes sign punter Burke Dales | Montreal Alouettes" . Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013 .
^ "Longtime Calgary Stampeders punter Burke Dales hangs 'em up" . Calgary Sun . Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014 .
^ Canadian Press (January 16, 2003). "Als lose Woodcock, sign rookie Dales" . Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 30, 2009 .
^ Ryan, Allan (November 23, 2008). "How to impress your fellow Grey Cup watchers without even trying" . Toronto Star. Retrieved March 25, 2009 .
^ "Stampeders Mourn Death Of Burke Dales" . Stampeders. January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024 .
External links