Vince Goldsmith

Vince Goldsmith

No. 78
Date of birth	(1959-07-20) July 20, 1959
Place of birth	Fort Riley, Kansas
Career information
Position(s)	Defensive End Linebacker
College	Oregon
Career history
As player
1981-1983	Saskatchewan Roughriders
1984	Toronto Argonauts
1985-1987	Calgary Stampeders
1988-1990	Saskatchewan Roughriders
Career highlights and awards
CFL All-Star	1983
CFL West All-Star	1981, 1983, 1988
Awards	1981 - CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award

Vince Goldsmith, born July 20, 1959, was a star football player in the Canadian Football League (CFL), as both a linebacker and defensive lineman.

Playing his college football with the University of Oregon Ducks (from 1977 to 1980) as a defensive tackle and only 5 feet 11 inches (but 230 pounds,) Goldsmith earned first-team all-conference honors twice while becoming the school’s only defensive lineman ever to receive the Morris Trophy as top lineman. A 1980 second-team Associated Press All-American, he recorded 13 tackles in his collegiate debut and his most productive year was as a sophomore, when he tallied 87 tackles (62 unassisted) and 14 tackles for losses. He finished his collegiate career with 281 tackles, including 34 behind the line of scrimmage. He was inducted into the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 2002.

Thought too small for the National Football League, Goldsmith came to Canada and played for 10 years. He made an instant impression in 1981, with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, recording 17 sacks, being named an all star and winning the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award. He was also an all Canadian all star in 1983. He played with the Green Riders from 1981 to 1983, and from 1988 to 1990; in his second stint with the Green Riders, he appeared in the team's Grey Cup win in 1989, playing 101 games, and his 89 sacks are second in team history. He played 17 games for the Toronto Argonauts in 1984, and played 3 years (1985 to 1987) with the Calgary Stampeders.

His career total of 130.5 sacks is fifth best in CFL history.