He was only 5 foot 7, and weighed just 170 pounds, but Norman (Normie) Kwong was a hardrock fullback in the Canadian Football League.

He died Saturday at the age of 86. His family says he passed away in his sleep.

Kwong was the first Chinese Canadian to play in the CFL, and it led to his nickname, “The China Clipper.”

He was on four Grey Cup winning teams: the first in 1948 with Calgary where he played for two years before being traded to Edmonton, It was with the Eskimos for nine years where Kwong became a genuine superstar, winning three more Grey Cups and being named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian in 1955 and 1956.

He was named to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1969. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1998, and served as Alberta’s Lieutenant Governor from 2005 to 2010.

Kwong also had a successful real estate business, and at one time was a director and part owner of the NHL’s Calgary flames.