Don Wassall said:
I'd like to see NFL and CFL teams play a few exhibition games against each other to see just how large the talent gap is or isn't.
For some reason Don's idea jarred a vague memory of the old
exhibition game between college all stars and the NFL champs. I was doing a search for that, and of all things up popped a page dealing with exhibition games between the CFL and NFL. And it turns out that over fifty years ago exhibitions were played with rules being change at halftime to adapt to the NFL rules. Sport historian has to appreciate this.
I don't remember exhibition games between the NFL and CFL, they didn't get much publicity. I did watch the College All-Star game, though I missed the 1963 game when the All-Stars upset the Packers.
Not many CFL players ever have gone to the NFL. The biggest "name" would probably be Jake Scott. Scott played for the Dolphins 1970-75 and Washington 1976-78.
Scott was SEC MVP in 1968 for Georgia. I recall him running a punt back 80 yards for a TD in a national TV game with Tennessee that year. The Vols scored a TD and a 2-point conversion to tie 17-17 on the game's final play.
Scott had one more year of eligibilty, but quit Georgia and played the 1969 season in Canada. He didn't like Vince Dooley choosing the Sugar Bowl over the Orange. The Dolphins picked him in the 1970 Draft and Scott went to Miami. Most of the time, when a player goes to Canada, he disappears from view.
George Allen drafted a RB named Moses Denson in the early 70s. Denson had benn a CFL RB for several years. Denson didn't do much in the NFL.