Russ Rebholz

Who was Russ Rebholz?

Russell "Doss" Rebholz, a native of Portage, Wisconsin, was a letter winner in football from 1929 to 1931 and in basketball from 1930 to 1931 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1930, he led the Midwest, Big Ten, and UW in scoring, with 48 points. Rebholz played in the 1932 East-West Shrine Game.

In 1932, Rebholz played for and coached the Winnipeg St. John's Rugby Club. From 1933 to 1938, he was a player/coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers football team, which won the 1935 Grey Cup. He was nicknamed "The Wisconsin Wraith" while with the Blue Bombers and wore jersey number 66.

Rebholz was one of the first two football imports to arrive in Canada from the United States. A versatile halfback, he was known for his passing, running, blocking, and kicking abilities. In a 1934 exhibition game, he threw one of the longest passes ever, 68 yards in the air, to Lynn Patrick for a touchdown. In the 1935 Grey Cup game, he threw two touchdown passes and led the Blue Bombers to a Dominion Championship over the favored Hamilton Tigers from the East.

He was elected a charter member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on November 27, 1963, and the Winnipeg Blue Bomber Hall of Fame in 1984.