Teo wrote:I read in an old Street & Smith's magazine that the 1971 Toronto Argonauts (who lost the Grey Cup to the Calgary Stampeders in Vancouver) had a near-NFL quality roster, with many past players (T Ellison Kelly, RB/CB Dave Raimey), draft choices (TE Mel Profit, RB Bill Symons, CB Marv Luster, DB DIck Thornton) and rookies who had been drafted in the NFL (QB Joe Theismann, RB Leon McQuay, DT JIm Corrigall and DT JIm Stillwagon), and also had great Canadian-born talent. Is that true? As I was born a year earlier I first only knew about the CFL in the early 80s.
I remember my first Street & Smith Magazine in 1971. There was a CFL section and much was made about Notre Dame QB Joe Theismann signing with Toronto after his senior season. The 1971 Argonauts were one of the most talented CFL clubs not to win the Grey Cup. I didn't really start following the CFL until 1982 but lots has been written and said about that team. There are various game action higjlights of the '71 Argos on youtube, including this fine documentary:
The Greatest Team That Never Won
https://youtu.be/FZ7yCaM2CAY
Some recommended books:
Cahill, Leo with Scott Young (1973). Goodbye Argos. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Ltd. 0-7710-9062-5
Cahill, Leo with Scott Young (1974). Goodbye Argos. Toronto: Pocket Book. 671-78657-1
Profit, Mel with Terry Hancey (1972). For Love, Money, and Future Considerations. Toronto: D C Heath Canada Ltd. ISBN 0-669-80572-6
Teitel, Jay (1982). The Argo Bounce. Toronto: Lester and Orpen Dennys Ltd. ISBN 0-88619-034-7
Teitel, Jay (1983). The Argo Bounce (Revised and Updated). Toronto: Lester and Orpen Dennys Ltd. ISBN 0-88619-033-9
Wallace, Craig (2005). A Slip in the Rain: The True Story of the 1967-72 Toronto Argonauts and the Fumble That Killed Canada’s Team. Self-published. ISBN 1-4116-1392-9