I’m
getting up on my soap box again. I’m preaching my message. I’m taking off my
shoe and slapping it on the table.
I act
this way when I want to make a point.
His
name is Anthony Calvillo. He is professional football’s all-time leader in
passing yardage. He is one of four men in history to have completed more than
400 scoring passes. He needs 79 more touchdown passes to become the sport’s
all-time leader in that category, but he is third on that list and is the only
active player among the top three. He trails only Tom Brady and one other passer
in the statistical quarterback rating among history’s top 25 quarterbacks in
terms of yardage gained.
This
man should be a lock to gain induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in
Canton, Ohio. Instead, he will not be considered. How dumb is that?
A
Californian, Calvillo has played his entire professional career in the Canadian
Football League. Because he plays in Canada, Calvillo has no chance in Canton.
You’ve no doubt heard
of Canada. It’s the nation just north of the 48 contiguous United States. The Canadians
have their own football league and the league has some rules that are different
from those used by the US-based National Football League. The playing field is
bigger in Canada, they use a three-down system instead of four and some of the
special teams rules are different. They play with 12 men rather than 11 and
have an extra eligible receiver.
So what? It’s
professional football. Warren Moon and Jeff Garcia, two US-born passers who
eventually found stardom in the NFL, started their professional careers in
Canada. Ask those guys about playing in the CFL.
Ask Vince Ferragamo
about the CFL. He left the NFL’s Rams to play in Canada and his results were
less than sensational. It’s tough to play up there.
The last time I went to
Canton and visited the shrine, I noticed the big letters on the building and, having
learned to read decades ago, checked them out. Those letters said, “Pro
Football Hall of Fame.” They did not say, “Hall of Fame for professional football
players that played in the United States.” I haven’t been there in a while, but
I’m willing to bet the letters still spell the same words.
I noticed this week that
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell believes football should be an Olympic sport. He
said football is an international game, played in enough nations to qualify for
Olympic consideration. It so happens that I disagree with the Goodell (although
I think he has done a superb job as Commissioner) on this point, but if
football is an international game then the Hall of Fame should have an
international membership.
Goodell will be in
Canton this week. Maybe he can drop a hint.
Anthony Calvillo should
be included in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His career numbers are
staggering. You want championships? He’s won three Grey Cups, the Canadian
Super Bowl. In fact, Calvillo is the all-time leader in passing yardage in Grey
Cup history and won the MVP Trophy for his play in the 2002 Grey Cup. Guess he’s
pretty good in big games, huh?
That means Calvillo has
as many titles as John Unitas and more than John Elway.
I referenced some stats
in the third paragraph and I’ll detail them below. Anthony Calvillo will be in
the Hall of Fame someday, but it will be the Canadian football HoF and not the
one in Canton. He should be included in both.
ANTHONY
CALVILLO
Attempts:
8,875 (Trails Brett Favre, Damon Allen, Warren Moon)
Completions:
5,563 (Trails Favre)
Completion
percentage: 62.7
Touchdowns:
429 (Trails Favre, Moon)
Interceptions:
209 (Many have more. Payton Manning, Jim Kelly and Drew Bledsoe have fewer.)
Yards:
75,045 (all-time record)
Championships:
3
Bio:
Born in Los Angeles, played juco football before attending Utah State. Not
drafted by NFL teams, signed with Las Vegas Posse of CFL, which folded.
Dispersal draft sent him to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Hamilton later traded him
to the Montreal Alouettes, where he has been an all-time great. Turns 40 in
2012.
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