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| The start of a new season |
This Friday will mark my 29th home
opener. If you were to ask me back in 1985 when I was working the home opener
at Exhibition Stadium, where I would be almost 30 years later, I doubt I would
have said still working with the Toronto Argonauts. The Montreal franchise was called
the Concordes, the Ottawa franchise was still in the league with a QB, JC Watts
who would eventually be the first African American in Oklahoma to win statewide
office. I was assisting the sidelines of
the Saskatchewan Roughriders as they played our Double Blue and were not the
team with the amazing following they have today. I couldn’t believe that I was part
of a team that only a few years ago, I was watching win their first Grey Cup in
31 years. This would be my first taste of being part of an exciting game known
as the Home Opener.
My 1987 home opener was somewhat of a
unique experience because with very little warning, the team I was supposed to
assist on the sidelines that day, decided to hang up their cleats for 10 years.
The Montreal Concordes folded just before the home opener that year and were
quickly replaced with Winnipeg becoming an Eastern team.
In 1989 the home opener had a new
exciting twist to it. In response to the rainy Grey Cup loss at home in 1982,
Paul Goddfrey proclaimed that the City of Toronto needed an indoor stadium, a
domed stadium. Many forgot to this day that the SkyDome was built based on this
proclamation and others just like it. This home opener was under a roof and in
front of 33,000 the Argos would lose to the Tiger Cats.
Then there was 1991. 41,000 people filled
the SkyDome which became known eventually as the Rogers Centre. It was the
birth of the Rocket's career and more importantly the dawn of Hollywood North.
John Candy was the owner at the time and making my way to the stadium I could
feel the buzz. AAAARRRRGGGOOOS beckoned in the streets carrying over from the
pre-game party the night before, hosted at the Horseshoe Tavern with a
performance by the Blues Brothers. The team had just come off of a win in
Ottawa, despite the question as to when the CFL would see the Rocket perform.
He missed the pre-season and first game due to injury, but on July 18th, in
front of the 41,000 loud fans, Raghib "the Rocket" Ismail would make
his debut in the city of Toronto. The Blues Brothers played at half time and
the stage was set for a storybook season. That would be the biggest crowd in my
home opener history. That season I would receive my first of five Grey Cup rings.
Who would have ever thought that in 1994
we would be playing a home opener against a team from Baltimore in the Canadian
Football League. In only my 2nd year as a full time assistant equipment manager
I would be travelling across Canada and South of the border. The team we met in
our home opener would be the first non-Canadian city to win the Grey Cup a year
later.
On June 8, 1999 the inspiration for my
love of the Argos would leave my life.
My dad would pass away before the Argo season, leaving me without the
confidante I could talk to about the woes and celebrations of the good ship
Argonauts. The true family spirit of the Argonauts would shine through my dark
clouds in the way of a memoriam on the video board for my Dad that home opener.
I remember as it went up, despite the game atmosphere, having the many people
involved with the Argos making a point to pat me on the back consoling me and
letting me know I don't have to be alone on the journey.
In our 115th season in existence, and my
20th Home opener, I would run out of the tunnel with the Toronto Argonauts as
the "Argo Bounce". I would be part of the team and excitement leading
all the way to our 15th Grey Cup Championship.
Now just a day away we will be starting
our 140th season as a franchise, commemorating an incredible win of the 100th
Grey Cup. This game will be played against the Hamilton Tiger Cats and
hopefully an amazing crowd will be
present to celebrate our momentum from last season, carrying us into another
season that I'm sure will be filled with excitement and the pride of being the
defending Grey Cup Champions.
In home openers my record is 11 wins and
17 losses. So I have some catching up to do, but home openers can be tempo
setters or just eye openers to get a loss out of the way. However in seasons where
we won the home opener we are 4 and 1 for winning the Grey Cup that year.
Either way it is a time for fans to get
excited for Canadian Football back in town. Brush off those horns, get some
fresh new bright blue face paint and forget about last season. It’s a new
season. Fans feel the excitement walking up to the gates to see that year's
edition of their Toronto Argonauts. The true buzz happens when the home team
runs out of the locker room as they are introduced with as much excitement as
the fans that cheer for them because this game isn’t built on hype. It's a
collection of athletes that play the game for the love of the game who they can relate to anytime. For the
fans, it’s a time to reflect on their memories of their past home openers and
for some the beginning of many home openers for years to come.
For me it’s a time to be a part of
another home opener to set up my 29th season of memories with the Double Blue
add another chapter to my book and my life.
