Lloyd Fairbanks, one of the most decorated offensive linemen in the history of the Calgary Stampeders, is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023.

A Raymond, Alta., product, Fairbanks played a total of 161 regular-season games in two stints with the Red and White covering 11 seasons. He was Calgary’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman on no fewer than eight occasions.

“Not only was Lloyd a great player, as his many all-Canadian accomplishments prove, he was also a great teammate and friend,” said Stampeders president John Hufnagel. “I had the unique experience of being Lloyd’s teammate at the beginning of our careers and then coaching him toward the end of his. On behalf of the entire Stampeders organization, I congratulate Lloyd on this very well-deserved honour.”

After completing his collegiate career at Brigham Young University, Fairbanks joined the Stampeders in 1975. He was Calgary’s nominee for Most Outstanding Offensive lineman in 1976 and every year from 1978-82, was named a West Division all-star on three occasions and a league all-star twice.

In 1980, Fairbanks was named the Stamps’ Most Outstanding Canadian and in 1982 he was awarded the DeMarco-Becket Foundation Trophy as the top offensive lineman in the West Division.

The Raymond High School alum signed with Montreal as a free agent in 1983 and played four seasons with the Concordes/Alouettes. In 1984, 1985 and 1986, he was named Montreal’s top offensive lineman and earned East Division all-star honours all three of those seasons. When the Alouettes folded in 1987, he was selected by Hamilton in the dispersal draft and played two seasons with the Tiger-Cats before rejoining the Stampeders in 1989.

Fairbanks’ second stint with Calgary lasted three seasons and he was named the team’s top offensive lineman twice and recognized as a division all-star in 1990. He retired in 1991 and was added to the Stampeders Wall of Fame in 1996.

Overall, Fairbanks played 257 games in the CFL, was a division all-star seven times and a CFL all-star twice.

Also part of the Hall of Fame’s 2023 class is Vicki Hall, who will be inducted into the media wing. Hall’s career as a CFL newspaper reporter included nine years with the Calgary Herald, where her duties included serving as Stampeders beat reporter.