Garner Ekstran

Garner Ekstran
No. 75
Positions	Defensive end, Linebacker
Personal information
Born	June 10, 1939; Bellingham, Washington, U.S.
Died	April 4, 2026 (aged 86); Sedro-Woolley, Washington, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
College	Washington State
Career history
1961–1967	Saskatchewan Roughriders
1968	BC Lions
Awards and highlights
	Grey Cup champion (1966); 3× CFL All-Star (1962, 1963, 1967); 4× CFL West All-Star (1962, 1963, 1966, 1967);

Nelson Garner Ekstran (June 10, 1939 – April 4, 2026) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for seven seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and one more with the BC Lions.^[1] He played college football for the Washington State Cougars.

Early life

Ekstran was born in Bellingham, Washington, on June 10, 1939.^[2]^[3] He played college football at Washington State University and received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture there in 1965.^[4]^[5]^[6]

Ekstran played defense for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1961 to 1967. He was a CFL all-star in 1962, 1963, and 1967, at defensive end for the first two and also at outside linebacker. Ekstran's solid play on defense helped the Roughriders win the Grey Cup in 1966 against the Ottawa Rough Riders.^[7]

Ekstran finished his playing career with the Lions, spending one more year before retiring from professional football.

Ekstran died in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, on April 4, 2026, at the age of 86.^[1]

1 2 Vanstone, Rob (April 6, 2026). "Remembering Roughriders Great Garner Ekstran (1939–2026)". Saskatchewan Roughriders. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
↑ Richardson, Vince (November 4, 2023). "Get to Know: Garner Ekstran". GoSkagit. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
↑ "Births". The Sunnyside Times. June 15, 1939 – via Newspapers.com.
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↑ The 1966 Roughriders Archived 2012-11-10 at the Wayback Machine