The Calgary Stampeders congratulate the members of the 2024 class of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame including two players who made significant contributions to the Red and White – defensive back/kick returner Marvin Coleman and defensive end Vince Goldsmith.
A native of Ocala, Fla., Coleman first made his mark as a kick returner for the Stamps – as a rookie in 1994, he returned both a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown – before also establishing himself as a standout defensive back. The best measure of Coleman’s ability and versatility is that in seven seasons with Calgary, he earned West Division all-star recognition no fewer than eight times – five times as a cornerback and three times a special-teams player. He was a double all-star in 1996, 1998 and 2000 and was part of the Stamps’ Grey Cup-winning squad in 1998.
Coleman remains the franchise’s all-time leader in punt-return yards (4,696), kickoff-return yards (5,331) and punt-return touchdowns (five). He was also dangerous on defence as he returned three of his 20 career interceptions as a Stamp for a touchdown.
After leaving the Stampeders to sign with the XFL’s San Francisco Demons, Coleman returned to the CFL in 2001 and spent three seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before retiring.
Goldsmith, who ranks eighth all-time in league history with 130.5 sacks, spent three of his 10 CFL seasons as a member of the Red and White. The University of Oregon alumnus teamed with Harold Hallman in 1986 and 1987 to form one of the most dangerous pash-rushing duos in CFL history as they combined for 61 sacks over those two seasons. In 46 career games for Calgary, Goldsmith brought down the quarterback 33 times.
The Fort Riley, Kan., product began and ended his CFL career with three-year stints with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Goldsmith also played one season with the Toronto Argonauts.
The other members of this year’s Hall of Fame class are Weston Dressler, S.J. Green and Chad Owens in the players’ category, Ray Jauch and Ed Lavery in the builders’ category and Farhan Lalji and Steve Daniel in the Football Reporters of Canada media wing.