Granville Liggins Granville " Granny " Liggins ( born June 2 , 1946 in Tulsa , Oklahoma ) was an American football and a Canadian Football League player . College . At the University of Oklahoma , Liggins was not only a football player , but also a wrestler . In 1967 , he was an NCAA Division I All - American wrestler , a Consensus All - American with the Sooners football team , where he played noseguard , 7th in Heisman Trophy voting , UPI Lineman of the Year , and an All - Big Eight Conference All - Star . He was a member of the Sooners ' squad when it upset the # 2 ranked Tennessee Volunteers 26 - 24 in the 1968 Orange Bowl . A highlight feature of the game was nose - guard Liggins squaring off against Tennessee ' s All - American center Bob Johnson . By the 2nd half of the game , Tennessee was forced to double - team Liggins in an attempt to shut - off his quarterback pass rush . In his autobiography , " Fighting Back " , former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Robert " Rocky " Bleier lauded Liggins as perhaps the fastest defensive lineman Bleier had ever faced during his college career . CFL . During his football career , Granville Liggins played for the Calgary Stampeders ( 1968 – 1972 ) and the Toronto Argonauts ( 1973 – 1978 ) in the Canadian Football League . In Calgary , from 1969 to 1972 , Liggins played right defensive tackle alongside left tackle John Helton , with Wayne Harris at middle linebacker , forming a very impressing middle part of a defense . He was a member of a Stampeder team that was best in the CFL in points allowed and beat the Toronto Argonauts to win the 59th Grey Cup game of 1971 . Liggins made the CFL ' s All - Canadian Team in 1971 and 1976 and received All - Western Football Conference Honours in 1972 . During his time with the Toronto Argonauts in the mid - 1970s , he was part of the team ' s famed " Dirty Dozen " defence , at the time the best in the CFL . Following a trade to the Ottawa Rough Riders , Liggins retired in 1978 . Perhaps the biggest barrier to a professional career with the NFL was the fact that , at 6 ' tall and 235 lbs , he was small for his position by NFL standards . Yet his quickness and speed made him a perfect fit at that size for the Canadian Football League . He was embraced by CFL fans in both Calgary , Alberta ( he often commented that the western Canadian province reminded him of his native Oklahoma ) and Toronto - - and never looked back . A perennial fan favourite , Liggins was a good - natured bundle of enthusiasm , energy , skill and football smarts ; as he had done in university , he made the defensive line his home and distinguished himself with a freewheeling style , quickness and cat - like agility . Post - football . As an American football player who decided to stay in Canada after his playing career was over ( later becoming a Canadian citizen ) , Liggins was featured on a 2004 Toronto Parks and Recreation " Contributions of African Canadians " poster created for Black History Month . Entitled " Beyond the Game " , the poster featured Liggins and four other famous Toronto Argonaut players : Michael " Pinball " Clemons , Ulysses Curtis , Chuck Ealey and R . Bruce Smith . Liggins is a member of The Pigskin Club of Washington , D . C . National Intercollegiate All - American Football Players Honor Roll . He currently resides in Oakville , Ontario .