Inside the CFL: ‘What we did. That’s something nobody can take away from us’

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Fifty years later, the hairlines have receded, the stomachs grown bigger and the bones creak most mornings when they roll out of bed. Professional football remains a brutal and punishing sport with Father Time still undefeated.

“When I think about my life the thing that always amazes me is how fast 50 years has gone,” said Larry Smith, a former CFL commissioner and Alouettes’ president. “It seems like a flash. I’m sure connecting with some of the guys coming back … is going to be a trip down memory lane.

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“The truth is, for many of us, it’ll be the last time we see each other.”

Fifty years have passed since the Alouettes’ 1974 Grey Cup victory against Edmonton, a convincing, if not necessarily dominant, 20-7 win. A slick and wet field at Vancouver’s Empire Stadium ensured there would be fumbles and dropped passes.

After the franchise formerly known as the Eskimos took a 7-0 first-quarter lead, the Als controlled the game. Following a single in the second quarter, Montreal’s Larry Sherrer scored the only touchdown on a five-yard run. Don Sweet completed the scoring with four field goals. Alouettes’ quarterback Sonny Wade and defensive-lineman Junior Ah You were named the most valuable players, while Sweet was selected the outstanding Canadian.

About 15 members of that team will gather Saturday night at a Montreal hotel for cocktails before being honoured at halftime during Sunday night’s game between the Alouettes and Edmonton Elks.

“To be able to see some of the guys and recount the memories is going to be a lot of fun,” said Smith, now a member of the Canadian Senate.

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Although Montreal’s 1970 Cup victory against Calgary was an upset, they fully expected to win four seasons later after slowly building over three seasons, starting in ’72 when it went 4-10 before it reached the summit.

A core group of players, including Smith, Dickie Harris, Wally Buono and Ah You, made their debuts during that losing campaign. Teamed with veterans like Wade, tight-end Peter Dalla Riva and offensive-tackle Ed George, plus the addition of tailback and return-specialist Johnny Rodgers in ’73, gave the club the impetus to take the next step.

Expectations were high in 1974, Smith remembered. The Alouettes jumped out to a 3-0 start, then went on a four-game winning streak later in the season to finish first in the East Division at 9-5-2. Montreal defeated Ottawa 14-4 in the division final before the Cup finale and held its opponents to 11 points in those post-season matches.

“We had a heck of a team … a veteran ball club,” Dalla Riva said. “Sonny was the big guy all the time and we always had a pretty good defence. We knew each other and had been playing together for a while. Everybody did their job. We were close off the field, too.”

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Wade, the offensive leader, might have produced pedestrian statistics during the regular season, but was a big-time player who rose to the occasion when money was on the line. He was intelligent, knew the game and had command of the huddle, his teammates recounted.

“All those great players you had an opportunity to play with,” said Buono, the former head coach and general manager with Calgary and B.C., almost in awe. “You share a championship with them. That’s a very special time of your life. I’m not sure, when you’re young, you really appreciate everything. Sometimes you’re oblivious as to what it means.”

Buono, an Italian native who moved to Montreal at age 3, was the team’s punter and situational linebacker, who was utilized by defensive co-ordinator Rod Rust when the Alouettes went with three down linemen. As a non-import, Buono said he was blessed simply to make the roster, knowing his CFL notoriety was gained following his playing career.

“To play in the Grey Cup, even in a package, was a very special dream,” said Buono, who holds the league record (282) for most regular-season victories by a head coach, along with five Cup victories in that capacity.

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Great players aside, none of this would have been accomplished without solid ownership from Sam Berger, along with the work of general manager Bob Geary. The glue that held everything together was head coach Marv Levy, who arrived in 1973, beginning a five-year run that included two Grey Cups and three championship-game appearances before he returned to the NFL — first as Kansas City’s head coach before an incredible 12-year stint with the Buffalo Bills, which included four consecutive Super Bowl defeats.

“It was a wonderful experience and exhilarating for me. I remember those days fondly,” Levy, now 99, told The Gazette from his Chicago home. “The Grey Cup was terrific to win, very comparable to winning a Super Bowl or World Series.”

Levy won’t attend the reunion, but said his message to his former players would have been simple had the circumstances been different.

“As a coach, they expected me to inspire them,” he said. “But being there as I was with that group, they inspired me.”

Instead, it will be left to his former players to congregate, have some drinks and laughs, undoubtedly tell some lies and relive a moment that can never be taken away; the bond of a championship forever their legacy.

“I’m sure we’re all banged up,” Dalla Riva said. “I hope everyone’s OK, doing all right and living life the best they can. What else can you say? What we did. What we had. That’s something nobody can take away from us.”

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

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