Paul Brule
Encyclopedia
Paul Brule is a former football player who starred at St. Francis Xavier University
in the 1960s before playing professionally in the Canadian Football League
.
, Canada from 1964 to 1967.
In 1966 he set a Canadian university football record with 1103 yards rushing and became the first player in Canadian Interuniversity Sport
history to score 20 touchdowns in a season. He also set a CIS season record with 120 points scored. That season the St. Xavier X-Men won the Vanier Cup
Trophy as Canada’s top university football team by beating Waterloo Lutheran University (now known as Wifred Laurier University) 40-14 in the Canadian College Bowl at Varsity Stadium
in Toronto.
Brule did not win another championship in 1967, but his senior year at St. Francis Xavier was perhaps his finest. He broke his own record for touchdowns in a season with 25. This included 21 rushing touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns, one punt return touchdown and one interception return touchdown. This record still stands as of the beginning of the 2010 CIS season. Brule’s 150 points in the 1967 season were also a new Canadian record. Remarkably, eight of Brule’s touchdowns in 1967 came in a single game. On October 20, 1967 Brule scored seven rushing touchdowns and one punt return touchdown against Dalhousie University
. This record still stands, as does his record of 48 points in a single game. He finished his four-year university career with 51 all-purpose touchdowns, a record that still stands as of the beginning of the 2010 CIS season.
.
Brule became the property of the Blue Bombers and played both fullback and defensive back for Winnipeg from 1968 to 1971. He enjoyed his most productive season offensively in his rookie year, when he rushed for 32 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries and caught five passes for 43 yards.
Defensively, Brule’s best season was 1970, when he had nine interceptions to rank third in the West and earn a Western Conference All-Star selection at defensive back. Brule had another four interceptions in 1971 with Winnipeg before moving to the Montreal Alouettes
for his final season in 1972. With Montreal, Brule had two more interceptions to raise his career total to 16.
Besides playing fullback and defensive back, Brule was also used as a punt returner and kick returner, averaging over seven yards per punt return for his career. His best season returning punts was 1969 when he finished second in the Western Conference with 498 yards.
He was inducted into the Nova Scotia Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
(born 1968 in Winnipeg, Manitoba).
Nova Scotia Football Hall of Fame
St. Francis Xavier Sports Hall of Fame
St. Francis Xavier University
St. Francis Xavier University is a post-secondary institution located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The school was founded in 1853, but did not offer degrees until 1868. The university has approximately 5000 students.-History:...
in the 1960s before playing professionally in the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
.
University football career (1964-1967)
Brule played fullback and defensive halfback at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova ScotiaNova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada from 1964 to 1967.
In 1966 he set a Canadian university football record with 1103 yards rushing and became the first player in Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...
history to score 20 touchdowns in a season. He also set a CIS season record with 120 points scored. That season the St. Xavier X-Men won the Vanier Cup
Vanier Cup
The Vanier Cup is the name of the championship of Canadian Interuniversity Sport football and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is currently played between the winners of the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl...
Trophy as Canada’s top university football team by beating Waterloo Lutheran University (now known as Wifred Laurier University) 40-14 in the Canadian College Bowl at Varsity Stadium
Varsity Stadium
Varsity Stadium is a collegiate football stadium that is home to the Varsity Blues, the athletic teams of the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. While the present structure was built in 2007, it is in fact the third major incarnation of the stadium that has occupied the same site...
in Toronto.
Brule did not win another championship in 1967, but his senior year at St. Francis Xavier was perhaps his finest. He broke his own record for touchdowns in a season with 25. This included 21 rushing touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns, one punt return touchdown and one interception return touchdown. This record still stands as of the beginning of the 2010 CIS season. Brule’s 150 points in the 1967 season were also a new Canadian record. Remarkably, eight of Brule’s touchdowns in 1967 came in a single game. On October 20, 1967 Brule scored seven rushing touchdowns and one punt return touchdown against Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
. This record still stands, as does his record of 48 points in a single game. He finished his four-year university career with 51 all-purpose touchdowns, a record that still stands as of the beginning of the 2010 CIS season.
CIS records
When Brule graduated after the 1967 season, he held the records for most rushing yards in a season (1103), most touchdowns in a game (8), most touchdowns in a season (25), most touchdowns in a career (51), most points in a season (150) and most points in a career (306).Professional football career (1968-1972)
Brule was selected fourth overall in the first round of the Canadian Football League’s 1968 amateur draft by the Ottawa Rough RidersOttawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
.
Brule became the property of the Blue Bombers and played both fullback and defensive back for Winnipeg from 1968 to 1971. He enjoyed his most productive season offensively in his rookie year, when he rushed for 32 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries and caught five passes for 43 yards.
Defensively, Brule’s best season was 1970, when he had nine interceptions to rank third in the West and earn a Western Conference All-Star selection at defensive back. Brule had another four interceptions in 1971 with Winnipeg before moving to the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
for his final season in 1972. With Montreal, Brule had two more interceptions to raise his career total to 16.
Besides playing fullback and defensive back, Brule was also used as a punt returner and kick returner, averaging over seven yards per punt return for his career. His best season returning punts was 1969 when he finished second in the Western Conference with 498 yards.
Career Honors
Brule was inducted into the St. Francis Xavier University Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.He was inducted into the Nova Scotia Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
Personal
Paul Brule is the father of journalist, entrepreneur and magazine publisher Jayson Tyler BruleTyler Brûlé
Tyler Brûlé is a Canadian journalist, entrepreneur, and magazine publisher. He is the editor-in-chief of Monocle and a columnist for the Weekend FT.-Early years:...
(born 1968 in Winnipeg, Manitoba).
External links
CFL career profileNova Scotia Football Hall of Fame
St. Francis Xavier Sports Hall of Fame