Cookie Gilchrist is said to have been recruited by Jim Brown to sign with the Browns right out of high school. After learning he wasn’t a lock to make the team, Gilchrist went to play in the Canadian Rugby Football Union. In 1956, he moved over to the Canadian Football League and led the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to the 1957 Grey Cup. After dominating the CFL from 1956-60, he joined the Buffalo Bills. Gilchrist was an All-Pro in 3 of his first 4 seasons, however his NFL career lasted just 6 years.
Here’s a look back at the late, great Cookie Gilchrist, as presented in 2009’s Full Color Football: The History of the American Football League.
