![\"Battle](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Greg-Battle-Winnipeg-Blue-Bombers-1988-7-1240x1600.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGreg Battle could demolish a running back darting through the line of scrimmage with a violence that could loosen molars and rack up subsequent chiropractic bills.<\/p>\n
And on the very next play he could drop back into coverage and blanket receivers like an all-star cornerback.<\/p>\n
Yes, there have been many superb athletes in the long and storied history of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and count Battle \u2014 a linebacker who suited up with the club over two tours in the 1980s and 1990s \u2014 among the most special.<\/p>\n
No doubt, as we trot out the latest in our \u201910 Lists in 10 Days\u2019 series with a look at the top tacklers in Blue Bombers history, many who saw the Arizona State product in his trademark #34 blue and gold jersey will concur.<\/p>\n
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Battle first came north to Winnipeg in 1987 after a tryout with the Denver Broncos and during a dominant period in Blue Bombers history where the club unearthed and developed one talent after another as if they had the keys to a secret linebacker factory.<\/p>\n
A soft-spoken sort \u2014 especially in comparison to his gregarious defensive teammates like Tyrone Jones, James West, Rod Hill and Less Browne \u2014 Battle was a silent killer on defence.<\/p>\n
He was named the Blue Bombers Most Outstanding Defensive Player for four straight seasons \u2014 1989-92 \u2014 at a time when he was also the most-dominant defender in the Canadian Football League, twice earning CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award honours in 1990 and 1991 while being a runner-up on a third occasion in 1989.<\/p>\n
Battle played a key role in two Grey Cup championships in 1988 and 1990 and his work in the \u201990 victory over Edmonton was arguably one of the most sensational single-game defensive efforts in franchise history.<\/p>\n
He had four tackles and two interceptions in Winnipeg\u2019s 50-11 blowout win over Edmonton, with one of the interceptions returned for a touchdown.<\/p>\n
That play captured Battle\u2019s game perfectly, as his athleticism often made the spectacular look ordinary.<\/p>\n
OTD in Blue Bombers History Nov 25, 1990. 78th Grey Cup was a first-time matchup between Edmonton and Winnipeg. A close game for two quarters but in the third, led by Greg Battle and Tom Burgess, the Bombers set a Grey Cup Record with 28 points as they pounded the Eskimos 50-11 pic.twitter.com\/L8is13UQDD<\/a><\/p>\n