Pete Karpuk (c. 1927 – March 4, 1985) was a Canadian football player who played for the Ottawa Rough Riders, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes.

In the last game of the 1951 Big Four regular season, Ulysses Curtis of the Toronto Argonauts had intercepted the ball and had a clear run for a touchdown when Karpuk rushed off the Ottawa Rough Riders bench to tackle him at the Ottawa 24-yard line.^[1] After a 15-minute delay, the referee ruled that Toronto could not be awarded a touchdown or a new play at the 1-yard line, but would have to take their next play from the 12-yard line with a man advantage—a rule that Karpuk knew because he had discussed it in the past.^[2] The tactic was afterwards called "a Karpuk" by at least one commentator when it was used again in American football.^[3]

He won the Grey Cup with the Rough Riders that year.^[4]

Ten years later he was broke and was sentenced to three months in jail after pleading guilty to stealing $110 from a store;^[3] but the conviction was quashed on appeal.^[5]

He died of a heart attack in 1985.^[6]

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