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The Canadian Soccer League’s Calgary Stampeders have provide you with a approach to honor crew legends whereas nonetheless guaranteeing each participant competing for a roster spot has a jersey quantity.
The Stampeders introduced this week that, throughout coaching camp periods and preseason video games this 12 months, “some members of the present Calgary crew will briefly be assigned numbers in any other case retired by the Stampeders franchise.” These gamers’ jerseys will characteristic a particular patch with the title and variety of the honored participant.
The numbers will likely be taken out of circulation as soon as the common season begins.
“These are among the most essential gamers in franchise historical past and briefly placing these numbers in use is a good alternative to remind everybody about their contributions,” Stampeders common supervisor and head coach Dave Dickenson mentioned on the team’s website.
The Stampeders have retired the numbers of seven gamers all through their historical past:
#5 – HARRY HOOD
Hood was considered one of a number of gamers to maneuver to Calgary from Winnipeg with coach Les Lear in 1948 and assist the Stampeders to an undefeated season and their first Gray Cup championship. A two-way performer, the shifty Hood scored 4 touchdowns and ran for 200 yards from the halfback place throughout the championship marketing campaign. He contributed as a backup to beginning quarterback Keith Spaith and performed defence because the Stamps rolled to a 12-0 regular-season document.
The Winnipeg native performed a complete of 70 video games in 5 seasons for Calgary, retiring after the 1952 marketing campaign. He racked up 1,131 speeding yards and 42 catches for 813 receiving yards. His quantity was retired in 1954 after Hood misplaced his battle with most cancers on the age of 31. The Calgary Senior Excessive Faculties Athletic Affiliation instituted the Harry Hood Memorial Trophy in his honour, with the award introduced yearly to the excellent senior highschool soccer participant within the metropolis.
#10 – WILLIE BURDEN
One of many best operating backs in franchise and league historical past, Burden might be greatest remembered for setting the single-season CFL document in 1975 with 1,896 speeding yards. Burden was named the CFL’s Most Excellent Participant in 1975 for his record-breaking efforts, considered one of simply eight Stampeders to seize that award.
Moreover the speeding mark, Burden nonetheless holds Stampeders information for 100-yard video games in a single season (10) and most consecutive 100-yard video games (5). He completed his stellar profession in 1981 with a complete of 6,234 speeding yards, the third-highest whole by a Calgary participant on the time of his retirement, and 32 touchdowns. He was elected to the Canadian Soccer Corridor of Fame in 2001.
#13 – MARK McLOUGHLIN
With 16 years of service and 276 video games with the Stampeders, nobody performed longer for the Pink and White than McLoughlin. His 2,957 factors are essentially the most in Calgary franchise historical past and his 2,996 profession factors, which embrace a single season with the BC Lions, signify the second-best whole in CFL historical past behind Lui Pasaglia. McLoughlin added 266 playoff factors for the Stampeders, together with the game-winning subject aim on the ultimate play of the 1998 Gray Cup in opposition to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. It was considered one of three championships for McLoughlin.
All advised, McLoughlin performed in six Gray Cup video games for Calgary along with 11 West finals and eight semifinals. Within the stress of post-season competitors, he had a powerful 83 per cent success charge on subject objectives. McLoughlin gained three regular-season scoring titles by booting for 208 factors in 1992, for 215 factors in 1993 and 220 factors in 1996. He broke the 200-point barrier seven occasions in an eight-year stretch from 1989 to 1996. McLoughlin was a division all-star on six events and was an all-Canadian in 1994, 1996 and 1999.
#18 – ALLEN PITTS
Pitts established and continues to carry quite a few Calgary receiving information after a blinding 11-year profession with the Pink and White. His multitude of marks contains single-season information for receptions (126 in 1994), yards (2,036 in 1994), touchdowns (21 in 1994) and 100-yard video games (11 in 1994). He holds profession marks for receptions (966) and touchdowns (117) in addition to yards (14,891), 1,000-yard seasons (9) and 100-yard video games (64).
Pitts held lots of the main CFL receiving information on the time of his retirement. He performed in 5 Gray Cup video games for Calgary, making a complete of 25 catches for 365 yards and three touchdowns whereas profitable championships in 1992 and 1998. He was a seven-time division all-star and a six-time all-Canadian. He entered the Canadian Soccer Corridor of Fame in 2006.
#22 – TOM FORZANI
The regular Calgarian spent his total CFL profession with the Stampeders and ranks among the many leaders in most vital receiving classes on the all-time franchise record. He had seven seasons with at the least 50 catches and was a Canadian all-star in 1977 on the power of 51 receptions for 894 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Forzani broke into the CFL with a 62-catch season in 1973 and was the Stampeders’ nominee for rookie of the 12 months in addition to a member of the West Division all-star crew. He was a West all-star once more in 1974 and 1977 and he was nominated as Calgary’s prime Canadian on 4 events. He led Calgary in receiving 5 occasions and was second in three different seasons. He completed his 11-year profession with 553 catches for 8,285 yards and 62 receiving touchdowns. All three of these figures positioned Forzani on the prime of the Stampeders’ all-time record on the time of his retirement.
#55 – WAYNE HARRIS
Wayne (Thumper) Harris was one of many CFL’s all-time nice defenders. He was nominated for the league’s Excellent Lineman Award on 9 separate events and gained 4 occasions — in 1965, 1966, 1970 and 1971. Harris was a West Division all-star a tremendous 11 consecutive seasons and was all-Canadian eight occasions.
For the primary a part of his Calgary profession, Harris performed on either side of the ball as he additionally performed on the offensive line. He’s the Stampeders’ all-time chief in fumble recoveries with 24. The crowning achievement of his Stampeders profession got here in 1971, his penultimate season. With 5 tackles, three assisted tackles and a fumble restoration, Harris was named the Most Beneficial Participant of the Gray Cup because the Stamps downed the Toronto Argonauts 14-11 at Vancouver’s Empire Stadium. He was elected to the Canadian Soccer Corridor of Fame in 1976 and he was a part of the inaugural group added to the Stampeders Wall of Fame in 1985.
#75 – STU LAIRD
With 12 seasons and 170 profession regular-season video games underneath his belt, Laird is without doubt one of the longest-serving gamers within the historical past of the Stampeders. Solely three gamers — Mark McLoughlin, Larry Robinson and Jay McNeil — wore the Pink and White longer than the home-grown product of Lord Beaverbrook highschool and the College of Calgary. A disruptive power on the defensive position, Laird registered 73 profession quarterback sacks to rank third on the Stampeders’ all-time record in that class and first within the historical past of the CFL amongst Canadian gamers. His greatest season got here in 1988 as he sacked the quarterback 11 occasions, made 54 tackles and recovered three fumbles.
Laird is a three-time winner of the Presidents’ Ring Award as voted by his teammates. He acquired the award for on-field excellence, management, inspiration and motivational abilities in 1988, 1992 and 1995. He went to the Gray Cup 3 times with the Stamps, profitable a championship in 1992. Laird additionally made his mark off the sector as one of the vital community-minded gamers ever to put on the Calgary uniform. In 1991, he gained the CFL’s Tom Pate Memorial Award for excellent sportsmanship and dedication to the league and the neighborhood.
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