Burke Dales

Burke Dales (February 16, 1977 – January 6, 2024) was a Canadian professional football player who was a punter in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played CIS Football with the Concordia Stingers. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2002.

Burke Dales

No. 30
Date of birth	(1977-02-16)February 16, 1977
Place of birth	Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
Date of death	January 6, 2024(2024-01-06) (aged 46)
Place of death	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Career information
CFL status	National
Position(s)	P
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	225 lb (102 kg)
US college	Concordia
NFL draft	2002 / undrafted
Career history
As player
2002	Pittsburgh Steelers*
2003	Montreal Alouettes*
2005–2011	Calgary Stampeders
2012–2013	Edmonton Eskimos
2013	Montreal Alouettes
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Grey Cup champion (2008)
CFL All-Star	2010, 2011
CFL West All-Star	2006, 2009, 2010, 2011
Honors	3x Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference All-Star 2001 All-Canadian team
Career stats
Playing stats at CFL.ca

Over his nine-year career, Dales played for the Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos, and Montreal Alouettes. Dales was born in Collingwood, Ontario, and raised in Brockville, Ontario.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Steelers

After playing at Concordia University, Dales attended the Pittsburgh Steelers 2002 training camp. He also tried to make the team as a kick-off specialist. When he placekicked, he used the straight-on style which had not been seen in the NFL since the 1980s.^[1]

Montreal Alouettes

Dales attended Montreal Alouettes's 2003 training camp^[2] and sat out the remainder of the 2003 and 2004 seasons before signing with Calgary in 2005.^[3]

Calgary Stampeders

Dales was signed as a free agent on March 8, 2005, by the Calgary Stampeders.^[3]

Prior to the Stampeders' 96th Grey Cup victory in 2008, Dales was offered a new contract to re-sign with Calgary for the 2009 CFL season but withheld signing until seeing if he could get interest from a National Football League team.^[4]

Dales re-signed with the Stampeders on March 24, 2009, after failing to gain interest from NFL teams and a reportedly higher offer from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers would have meant losing his off-season employment.^{[5][6][7][8][9]}

Edmonton Eskimos

After becoming a free agent in 2012, Dales signed with the Edmonton Eskimos on February 19, 2012.^[10]

On July 22, 2013, he was released by the Eskimos.^[11]

Montreal Alouettes

On October 30, 2013, Dales was signed again by the Montreal Alouettes.^[12][13]

Dales announced his retirement on May 16, 2014.^[14]

Personal life and death

Dales' sister, Stacey, is a former Women's National Basketball Association^[15] player who currently works as a reporter for NFL Network. His cousin Jason Arnott played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League.^[16]

Dales died in January 2024, at the age of 46.^[17]