Former Winnipeg Blue Bombers DE Jim Heighton Passes Away
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers shared some sad news on Saturday as they announced the passing of former defensive end Jim Heighton.
They shared the news on their X account Saturday with condolences to Heighton’s family. The news was previously announced on X early last week without many details about the situation.
The club offers condolences to the family of Jim Heighton after his passing this week.
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) December 17, 2023
Heighton played defensive end for the club from 1970-78 and was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2014.
Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/wkyzX4kWF9
Heighton was a Vancouver native who started his CFL career in 1969 with the BC Lions. He signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers the following season, where his career took off.
He played with the Bombers from 1970 through 1978 and earned CFL West All-Star selections in 1971, 1972, 1974 and 1976. Heighton also won the Dr. Bert Oja Award twice as the team’s most valuable linemen in 1974 and 1976.
In 1979, he made the move to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, where he played just one season before finishing his football career with the Montreal Alouettes in 1981.
While his complete career stats aren't known, he played in 171 total games in his career and only missed more than 10 games once in his career, recording at least one interception, 10 fumble recoveries and one touchdown.
Heighton was named to the Bombers’ Hall of Fame in 2014 and he joined the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 for his 12-year CFL career.
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.