Robservations: Remembering the fun of '81 … the good nature of Lyle Bauer … and the excellence of Eric Guthrie
04/05/2024 16:44
Vince Ferragamo hit the jackpot a few months before being hit by Vince Goldsmith.
The impact was felt in the upper level at Taylor Field, where Goldsmith and the Saskatchewan Roughriders faced Ferragamo and the Montreal Alouettes on Sept. 6, 1981 — in the most-recent Labour Day Classic that excluded the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
From my vantage point in Section 204, I was surprised that Ferragamo didn't land in Section 104.
"That," the spectator to my right commented, "was a million-dollar hit!"
Ferragamo was then in Season 1 (there wouldn't be a Season 2) of a four-year contract that reportedly called for upwards of $400,000 per annum.
He had migrated northward to Canada after reaching an impasse in negotiations with the Los Angeles Rams, for whom he had thrown 30 touchdown passes during the 1980 season. In January of that year, he had been the starting quarterback for the Rams in their 31-19 Super Bowl loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Ferragamo was part of a high-priced Alouettes contingent that also included former NFL star receivers James Scott and Billy (White Shoes) Johnson.
It was re-established in 1981 that money does not buy happiness. The Alouettes' record dropped to 1-9 as the consequence of a 35-26 loss to the Roughriders, who overcame a 26-8 third-quarter deficit by scoring 27 unanswered points.
Even though Ferragamo was the CFL's highest-paid player, he had been relegated to backup duty by the time the Alouettes arrived in Regina to face a Saskatchewan side that included his former Rams teammate, punter Ken Clark.
Gerry Dattilio, who had been named the league's Most Outstanding Canadian in 1980, threw for 427 yards before 28,526 spectators at 27,637-seat Taylor Field.
The Alouettes had assumed a seemingly comfortable lead thanks to back-to-back third-quarter TD passes from Dattilio to Scott (78 yards) and Johnson (49).
After the latter score, White Shoes — who by that point was already regarded as one of the premier kick returners in NFL history — performed his patented, rubber-legged touchdown dance in the left corner of Taylor Field’s north end zone.
That was as good as it got for the Alouettes on Labour Day weekend, 1981.
John Hufnagel, who had entered the game in place of struggling starter Joe Barnes, threw for 240 yards and three scores to propel Saskatchewan past Montreal.
So it was appropriate, then, that Hufnagel called Goldsmith a few weeks ago to inform him that he would be among this year's seven inductees into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. The formal announcement was made on Friday morning.
Back in '81, Hufnagel and Barnes formed a quarterbacking tandem that was enduringly dubbed J.J. Barnagel by John Chaput of the Regina Leader-Post.
Our old friend "J.J." produced 33 TD passes (including 21 by Hufnagel) to help the Roughriders post a 9-7 record — a tonic after back-to-back 2-14 seasons.
That team was fabulous fun to watch, thanks to stars such as Hufnagel, Barnes, Goldsmith, Joey Walters, Chris DeFrance, Lyall Woznesensky, Mike Samples, Steve Dennis, Ken McEachern, Roger Aldag, Bob Poley, Lester Brown and, well, I could list the entire roster.
I will always love that '81 team, which barely missed the playoffs but nonetheless left an lasting impression that, 40-plus years later, still warms my aging heart.
"All the football teams I had been on prior to that — boys' club, junior high, high school, college — after the games, we would never sing," Goldsmith recalled, "but Bob Poley would bring out his guitar and we would start singing.
"Some guys would be smoking — smoking cigarettes — and it was a summer camp, family kind of vibe. I never felt that on any other team I had been on.
"The guys who had been there prior to me arriving facilitated that. The community really had a feeling of ownership for those guys and those guys reciprocated. That's where that feeling came from.
"That was a good time, because it was summertime and everybody was feeling great and we were actually playing well.
"We did our best to win. We did our best to stay in games. Some games were more successful than others, but what you saw emanated from that unity, that bond, that we had, being off the field together. We had relationships."
Not to mention accolades.
Joe Faragalli was named the CFL's Coach of the Year for 1981.
Walters earned a spot on the CFL All-Star team after catching 91 passes for 1,715 yards and 14 touchdowns. The yardage total is still a team record, one that has rarely been challenged.
Goldsmith was honoured as the league's top rookie after registering 17 sacks — one of which felled Ferragamo.
Ferragamo saw mop-up duty at Taylor Field, where he went 2-for-5 for 25 yards, with two interceptions, on the first Sunday of September.
"When I played against (the high-priced Alouettes luminaries), I just treated them like other players," Goldsmith recalled. "It wasn't like, 'Whoa! This guy is making so much money so you can't hit him.'
"What was going through my mind was, 'Let's stop them. Let's do what we've got to do in order to win this game.' "
The Alouettes of 1981 won only three games, but nonetheless finished third in the Eastern Conference and advanced to the playoffs.
That was in the pre-crossover era, remember, so Saskatchewan — the Western Conference's fourth-place team — was absent from the post-season picture despite winning nine games.
In the East semi-final, the Ottawa Rough Riders (5-11) defeated Montreal 20-16.
The Alouettes' starting quarterback in that playoff contest was Ken Johnson, who bumped Ferragamo to the reserve list after being acquired from the Calgary Stampeders on Oct. 16, 1981.
At that point, the book was effectively closed on Ferragamo's CFL career.
In 13 games with the Alouettes, he threw for 2,182 yards and seven touchdowns, with 25 interceptions.
Ferragamo returned to the NFL in 1982 and spent three more seasons with the Rams, on whose behalf he registered 3,276 aerial yards and 22 TD passes in 1983.
He also saw NFL duty with the Buffalo Bills (1985) and Green Bay Packers (1986).
Ten years after retiring as a player, he created a charity — the Vince Ferragamo Foundation — that continues to benefit organizations such as the Special Olympics.
That, too, is important to remember.
Although the 1981 season was a difficult one for Ferragamo and the Alouettes, his good nature and character were unaffected.
Despite the big salary and impressive NFL credentials, he never carried himself in a manner that would suggest he was too big for the CFL.
He was, by all accounts, a great teammate and an extremely nice guy who, finances aside, found himself in an unenviable situation — especially when he was being pursued by Vince Goldsmith.
LYLE BAUER: BORN IN SASKATCHEWAN
Although Lyle Bauer is fondly remembered for his lengthy and distinguished tenure with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, his association with the CFL actually began with the Roughriders.
In 1979, the Saskatoon-born offensive lineman was selected by Saskatchewan in the fifth round (38th overall) of the CFL Draft. He then attended back-to-back training camps with the Roughriders.
Bauer made his CFL regular-season debut with Winnipeg in 1982 and spent his entire, 10-year playing career with the Blue Bombers. He helped Winnipeg win Grey Cup titles in 1984, 1988 and 1990.
Beginning in 1992, Bauer was the Blue Bombers' Assistant General Manager for three seasons. He later served as the team's President and Chief Executive Officer from 2000 to 2009.
As well, Bauer was the Stampeders' President and Chief Operating Officer from 2010 to 2013.
Outside of football, Bauer's accomplishments were also exemplary.
He founded the Never Alone Foundation, which assists cancer patients and their families. The foundation was formed after he was diagnosed with throat cancer late in 2004.
A regret: I never had the pleasure of meeting Lyle Bauer, who was 65 when he passed away on April 26.
"He was a deeply passionate man who loved his community, his team and, most of all, his family and friends, including many in the CFL," Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said. "May he rest in peace."
REMEMBERING ERIC GUTHRIE
Word reached me the other day that Eric Guthrie, who was Ron Lancaster's backup for most of the 1977 season, died on Feb. 17 at age 76.
Nicknamed "The Canadian Rifle," the Vancouver-born Guthrie played with the B.C. Lions (in 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976) before being dealt to Montreal.
He never played in a game for Montreal, which traded him to Saskatchewan for future considerations on June 13, 1977.
Guthrie was elevated to a front-line role on Oct. 16, 1977, after Lancaster suffered a season-ending knee injury in a home game against Edmonton.
With Guthrie behind centre, the Roughriders outscored Edmonton 20-10 in the fourth quarter, only to lament a 33-31 loss.
After a bye week, the Roughriders returned to action Oct. 30 against B.C. Saskatchewan, which needed a victory to sustain its playoff hopes, led 28-6 after three quarters and ultimately won 38-28.
Guthrie completed 12 of 23 passes for 232 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown toss to Walters.
With that victory in the books, the Roughriders needed the Stampeders to defeat the visitors from Edmonton. Alas, Calgary's Cyril McFall missed a 43-yard field-goal attempt on the final play, enabling Edmonton to win 23-21.
Just like that, the Roughriders were eliminated from CFL playoff contention for the first time since 1961.
But Guthrie, summoned from the bullpen, gave us some hope — which had appeared to be drained from Taylor Field the moment The Little General was injured.
JAUCH TALK
Ray Jauch was the Roughriders' Head Coach even before he was appointed to the position.
During back-to-back games in 1993, Jauch — then the Roughriders' Offensive Co-ordinator — doubled as the Interim Head Coach while Don Matthews was sidelined with appendicitis.
Matthews underwent emergency surgery on Oct. 11, 1993. He was hospitalized shortly before the Roughriders faced the Stampeders at McMahon Stadium.
Quarterback Kent Austin was also shelved for that game. While nursing a knee injury, Austin replaced Jauch in the spotter's booth. Jauch ran the show on the sideline as the Stampeders defeated the Warren Jones-quarterbacked Roughriders 34-18.
Austin was back behind centre six days later, when the Roughriders downed the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33-10 at Taylor Field. Jauch, still in an interim role, coached Saskatchewan to victory.
However, the win was credited to Matthews because he was officially the Roughriders' Head Coach, even in absentia.
It is quite something, when you think about it. In 1993, the Roughriders' staff included two gentlemen who would eventually be among the top six on the CFL's all-time coaching-victories list.
Wally Buono leads the way at 282, followed by Matthews (231), Frank Clair (147), Lancaster (142), Eagle Keys (131) and Jauch (127).
In Jauch's case, though, a compelling case can be made for 128!
Jauch was announced on Friday as one of the Hall of Fame's 2024 inductees.
Congratulations to Jauch and his family, which includes sons Jim and Joey.
Jim Jauch, a defensive back, was selected by Saskatchewan in the third round (18th overall) of the 1988 CFL Draft. He attended training camp with the Roughriders the following year before being traded to Calgary on July 7, 1989. In July of 1991, he returned to the Roughriders and spent a few weeks on the practice roster.
Joey Jauch, a receiver who also held for placement kicks, was acquired from Hamilton on Sept. 25, 1994. As a Roughrider, he dressed for five games in 1994 and 16 in 1995.
Ray Jauch can also be linked to the aforementioned Eric Guthrie item.
We have already referenced the 1977 knee injury sustained by Lancaster, who left the game after absorbing a hit from Edmonton defensive lineman Ron Estay.
Six days later, Guthrie threw a TD pass to Walters, who also scored on a 50-yard punt return on that late-October afternoon at Taylor Field.
In 1983, Jauch took over as the first Head Coach of the United States Football League's Washington Federals. His opening-day roster included … wait for it … Estay and Walters.
ROLL CREDITS …
- Nice people who deserve a plug: Brenda Edwards, Tyler Hopson, Carrie Hopson Stewart, Mabel Hopson, Spencer Stewart, Juliet Stewart, Ryan Geisler, Dan Sherven, Steve Mazurak, Terry Kuz, Don Sangster, Jeannette Sangster, Jordan Greenly, Linda Greenly, Mary Greenly, Pete Paczko, Barney Shynkaruk, Kyle Carson, Kent Maugeri, Leanne Tremblay, Sebastian Soltes, Kyle Hergel, Janet Craig, Kris Craig, Mitchell Saretzky, Eva Fletcher, Edwin Harrison, Bill Dubecky, Cathy Sali, Barb Ryan, Kate Pettersen, Rob Cherepuschak, David Belof, Ed Tait, Vince Goldsmith, Weston Dressler, Shirley Prokop, Tom Liagridonis, Nick Wiebe, Vince Ferragamo and (why not?!) J.J. Barnagel.
