Peter Martin, spirit of the Argonauts, dead at age 83

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Peter Martin was Double Blue through and through.

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A player and broadcaster for the Toronto Argonauts, he was present from the era when only the Maple Leafs rivalled the Scullers for the affections of sports fans in Hogtown, through their many ups and downs as part of the Canadian Football League’s evolution.

“It is through tears that I write that Peter, one of the greatest Argonaut ambassadors ever, passed away Friday night at the age of 83,” former broadcast partner Mike Hogan posted on ‘X’ Monday morning. “He dedicated his life to the sport and his family.”

A CFL Hall of Famer in the reporters’ category, linebacker Martin began with the East York Argos in 1964, winners of the Canadian senior championship. Signed by Toronto and coach Bob Shaw, he was on the team that made it to the 1971 Grey Cup, ending a 19-year wait, though the Argos lost to Calgary.

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That team was under colourful coach Leo Cahill. As defensive captain, Martin kidded he was promoted to that position for knowing more about the CFL rulebook than Cahill.

“Leo liked to talk a lot,” Martin told Hogan for a story on the team’s web site in 2021. “I didn’t know much about him when we hired him, but I had a great relationship with Leo. He was the right guy at the right time for the Argos.

“When he was around there was never a dull moment. If there wasn’t a story, he’d create one. He was always in the newspapers and that’s what we needed.”

After Martin retired, he went into the radio booth as an analyst in 1977.

For most seasons up to 2010, he was on four different stations, with seven different play-by-play voices; Dave Hodge, Bill Stephenson, John Badham, Bob Bratina (twice), Marc Charlebois, Jaime Stein, and six seasons with Hogan.

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“If you were critical of the Argos radio career of Pete Martin, blame me.” Hodge posted Monday. “But you’d be the first. Hiring Pete was one of the best decisions of my life, especially as it brought one of my best friends. His death hits me very hard.”

Martin was also president of the Argo Alumni Association for many years and was recently named an all-time Argo builder.

Martin grew up in Scarborough when it was still farmland, near present-day Birchmount Road and Lawrence Ave. After graduating from Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate, then getting his physical education degree from the University of Western Ontario while playing under legendary Mustangs coach John Metras, he originally was a first-round pick of the Ottawa Rough Riders.

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Martin prided himself of being the Argos’ ‘social director,’ a blessing and a curse with a team full of characters such as Dick Thornton and Mel Profit,

“I used to have parties at my house. Every year we had a Halloween party after the game, where everyone had to dress up.”

He told Hogan that nothing topped the celebration after Toronto eliminated bitter rival Hamilton in the two-game total-points Eastern final when a beer company asked where to drop off supplies for the victory bash.

“I had a small four-bedroom house in Mississauga,” he recalled. “I had to paint the walls and the basement that week. The truck rolled up to my house the day before the (final) game and they unloaded 30-40 cases of beer.

“You know what it’s like, you invite a player and his family, and he invites somebody else, then invites somebody else. We never did an actual headcount, but I figure we had between 250 and 300 people there. For years I had people come up to me and say: ‘You don’t know me, but I was at your party… ‘ ”

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No. 77 retired in 1973, leading to a teaching job at Port Credit Secondary where he coached football, wrestling and track and field. That background, explaining why a play worked or broke down, would serve him well behind the radio microphone.

Martin was also named co-winner of the 2016 CFL Alumni Association Man of the Year with Argos president Michael Clemons. Martin rode the wave of high times, such as the 1983 Grey Cup that finally ended the title drought and the back-to-back 1996 and 1997 championships through noticeable dips in attendance at Rogers Centre and later BMO Field. Dave Watkins, a former Argo executive, said any decision that impacted former players, from a change in team uniforms to game operations, was run past Martin first.

“He kept the fire burning with the old boys,” Watkins said. “But it was Pete the person we’ll miss. Flying across the country with the team, he had that infectious laugh you could hear throughout the plane.

“He was the fabric of the team. He loved the Argos and they loved him.”

Hogan’s post said Martin is survived by wife Wendy, four children and grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Lhornby@postmedia.com 

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