From
the firing of Michael Lysko to the soap opera that is Lawrence
Phillips' career and the appearance of "the greatest of all-time",
2002 was a year full of intriguing stories and plots in the
CFL.
Here is a look at the ten biggest stories in the CFL this
past season:
1) Football's back in Ottawa
After a six-year absence, pro football returned to the nation's
capital in 2002.
With the Ottawa Roughriders nothing more than a faint memory,
the Ottawa Renegades took to the field on June 28 against
Saskatchewan, ushering in a new era in the CFL.
Not even a 30-27 OT loss could prevent the Renegades' first
ever game from being a huge success, as 26,898 fans -- 797
short of a sellout -- passed through the turnstiles at Frank
Clair Stadium.
"It's an incredible feeling to see this excitement in Ottawa,"
said Rick Baker, one of six partners in the Renegades' five-share
ownership group.
Too bad the excitement of opening night didn't translate
to success on the field. The 'Gades finished the season with
the worst record in the league (4-14-0-2) and missed the playoffs.
2A) Lysko given the heave-ho
Fifteen months after being hired, Michael Lysko was fired
as CFL commissioner in March 2002.
Eskimos president Hugh Campbell made the announcement on
March 20 and CFL board chairman David Braley was named the
new commissioner on an interim basis.
Lysko got himself into hot water after making pointed remarks
about the Toronto Argonauts and the club's decision to hire
Garth Drabinksy -- a former entertainment mogul under investigation
by the RCMP for alleged financial impropriates -- as a consultant.
In a March 8 interview with the Toronto Star, Lysko
called the Argos' organization "one of total incompetence"
and characterized the team's decision to hire Drabinksy as
making a "deal with the devil."
Team owner Sherwood Schwarz was enraged over Lysko's comments
and called for his immediate dismal that same day.
"I'm not asking him to resign, I'm saying, 'You're fired,'
" Schwarz told Canadian Press. "Can you imagine Paul
Tagliabue or David Stern operating in this fashion? That's
not what a commissioner does."
2B) Player strike averted
Things came to full boil in August when CFL players -- playing
without a collective bargaining agreement since June -- set
a date strike vote for November, potentially jeopardizing
the playing of the 90th Grey Cup and all playoff games.
Thankfully, the players union and management inked a new
four-year deal in September, ending any possibility the Grey
Cup would be cancelled due to a work stoppage.
"It's not a deal that everyone's completely happy with but
I think it's a great deal for the players," said Blue Bomber
player rep Brett MacNeil. "We're moving forward and I think
that's a great thing for everybody."
"I went over the details with a number of the veteran players
and they're quite happy with the deal. We're getting increases
everywhere and when we first started talking, there weren't
going to be any increases."
The players opposed the league's wishes to reduce the number
of Canadian starters on teams from seven to six. Players also
wanted increases on the minimum salaries for rookies from
$30,000 to $36,000 and veterans from $32,000 to $38,000 and
better Grey Cup bonuses
In the end, the players won.
The new collective bargaining agreement calls for the minimum
salary to increase to $35,000 across the board next year,
and $37,000 by 2005. The salary cap will jump to $2.6 million
Cdn per team from $2.28 million over the life of the contract,
and Grey Cup shares will increase from $5,000 (for the losers)
and $10,000 (winners) to $6,000 and $12,000.
3) Stegall connection Jones works record-setting magic
Has there ever been a more dangerous offensive duo in the
CFL than Winnipeg's Khari Jones and Milt Stegall?
This year, the dynamic duo set the CFL ablaze with their
prolific, dominating and record-breaking play.
Jones, the CFL's MVP in 2001, led the league in passing,
throwing for 5,334 yards and 46 touchdown passes, just two
short of Doug Flutie's CFL record.
Stegall led the CFL in receptions (106), receiving yards
(1,896), games with 100 yards receiving (10) and set the CFL
record for both total touchdowns and total receiving TDs (both
23) in one season.
He was also named the West's nominee for most outstanding
player of 2002.
Stegall credits his success to paying with Jones.
"As far as numbers go, it's definitely my best year," said
Stegall. "But the reason this is happening is because I've
had the opportunity to play with the same quarterback (Khari
Jones) for more than one year. We've gotten into a little
rhythm and, in some ways, we communicate without communicating."
The Stegall-Jones combo led the Bombers in reeling off seven
wins in their last eight games to finish second in the West
and helped the club lead the league in eight offensive categories.
4) Adam Rita turns Lions around
It was one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent
CFL history.
After starting the season with a 1-5 record, the Lions fired
had coach Steve Buratto on Aug. 2, replacing him with general
manager Adam Rita.
Things looked hopeless in Vancouver. The Lions were struggling
at the gate and the club was struggling on the field. The
playoffs appeared to be a pipe dream, as most Lions fans thought
the season would be write-off.
Where they ever wrong.
Under Rita, the Lions won eight of their next nine games
to finish the season with a 10-8 record and third place in
the West.
"I had nothing to do with it," said Rita after the Lions
won their fourth in a row on Aug. 30 against Ottawa.
"That's what we had to do to turn this team around and make
them realize they were not playing up to their capabilities
and that we lost a good man because of that."
5) Darren Flutie makes CFL history
Darren Flutie has long been regarded as one the best slotbacks
ever to play in the CFL.
This past season, he proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
On Oct. 14 against the Argos, Flutie caught a 17-yard pass
from Danny McManus late in the third quarter. With the reception,
Flutie broke Allen Pitts' record of 966 as the CFL's all-time
leader in receptions.
After Flutie's record-setting catch, the game was halted
for a brief ceremony and Hamilton owners George Grant and
David Macdonald honoured the veteran slotback's accomplishment.
Flutie ended the season by catching his 968th career pass.
Alas, even though Flutie became the most prolific receiver
in CFL history, all was not well in Steeltown this year.
The Cats lost five of their last six games -- including
a heartbreaking 29-28 OT loss to the Argos on Thanksgiving
-- in failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time
since 1997.
6) Ali inspires the Argos
It took an appearance from the "greatest of all-time" to
lift the Toronto Argos out of their season-long funk and launch
them into the postseason.
On Oct. 20, Muhammad Ali paid a visit to SkyDome as part
of a fundraiser for Parkinson's disease.
A star-studded list of celebrities from the sports and entertainment
world paid tribute to the former heavyweight world champion
in a halftime ceremony before 24,392 spectators.
Fans hung on his every word and laughed as the 60-year-old
Ali playfully sparred with current world champion Lennox Lewis.
The presence of one of sports' greatest icons seemed to
inspire the Boatmen.
The Argos beat the Renegades 26-12 to keep pace with Hamilton
and leapfrogged over the Tabbies to finish second in the East
and earn a playoff berth with a last-minute 33-32 victory
over the Stampeders on the final day of the season.
The Argos seemed destined to miss the playoffs after getting
off on the wrong foot. Toronto started the season 3-6, but
turned it on in the second half of the campaign by going 5-4,
including winning its last three games of the season.
7) Stampeders slip up
The Calgary Stampeders never envisioned this happening at
the start of the season.
A 35-20 loss on Oct. 18 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers eliminated
Calgary from playoff contention, making them the first defending
Grey Cup champion to miss the postseason the following year
since the 1992 Argos.
Calgary finished the year fifth in the West with a 6-12-0-2
record, marking the first time the Stamps failed to make it
into the playoffs during Wally Buono's 13-year tenure as head
coach.
"A lot of things have gone wrong (this year)," Buono said
after the loss to the Bombers.
"One, I don't think we ever matured as a team. I don't think
we ever made the progress that we wanted to as a team. And
as a coach I've got to take part of that responsibility."
There was plenty of blame to go around, however, as the
Stamps never played up to their potential during the season.
"This is awful," said disgusted Stamp veteran Jay McNeil.
"Only three teams don't make the playoffs and we're one of
them. I would've thought we'd be at least 10-8 but we lost
our confidence. We're afraid to make mistakes. When things
go wrong for us it just gets worse."
8) Phillips causes a stir in Montreal
The Montreal Alouettes must have seen it coming when they
signed Lawrence Phillips.
The troubled running back walked out on the team for the
second time in the season on Aug. 19 without warning or explanation.
The walkout was a bargaining ploy, as Philips wanted to
renegotiate his contract with the club. During the off-season,
Phillips agreed to one-year contract, plus an option. His
base salary is $43,000 Cdn.
Phillips unseated Mike Pringle, the CFL's leading rusher
over the past decade, in the Montreal backfield despite going
AWOL from the Alouettes for the first time during training
camp. Phillips walked out on the Als, accusing Popp and Matthews
of dealing dishonestly with him.
It looked like Phillips was really turning things around
after making as many headlines for his off-field problems
as his on-field performance during his college and NFL career.
And then came the August walkout.
Phillips missed the Als' game on Aug. 21 against the Lions
-- Montreal's first loss of the season -- and was briefly
suspended by the club before making his return a week later.
9) Eskies dual QB system works to perfection
They say two heads are better than one. Or in the case of
the Edmonton Eskimos, two quarterbacks.
Ricky Ray and Jason Maas endured a roller coaster ride of
a season in Edmonton, as head coach Tom Higgins employed a
rotating quarterback system that kept both pivots on their
toes.
Ray opened a lot of eyes when he burst on to the scene during
a three-game relief stint for Maas early in the season. When
Maas was sidelined by a back injury just ahead of Labour Day,
the 22-year-old Ray solidified his grip on the No. 1 job.
Ever since Maas' return, Higgins has kept opponents guessing
by refusing to announce whom he'd be starting prior to games.
Often times, Higgins had Ray and Maas play half a game each,
or replace one with the other at the drop of a hat when one
of them ran into trouble.
Although Ray and Maas were less than thrilled over splitting
playing time -- they both went on record as saying they wanted
to be the Eskies' No.1 -- it's hard to argue against success.
The Eskimos finished first in the West with a 13-5 record
and its two-pronged passing attack kept both Ray and Maas
sharp and helped them develop into better players.
"The way things happen, you've got to be ready to play no
matter what," Ray said during the season. "Obviously, if you
do know you're starting you can kind of prepare for it better."
"It's a tough deal. Before when it first started happening
it was, 'If I go in there and screw up, I'm going to get yanked.'
"
"Now, I just go in relaxed and play and if it's not my day,
then we've got another guy who can come in and do the job.
If it is your day, you'll probably see the end of the game."
10) Riders return to the playoffs
Needing only one point in their final three games of the
season to advance to the playoffs the Riders sealed their
fate on Oct. 19, beating the B.C. Lions 13-11 at Taylor Field
in Regina.
With the win, the Riders qualified for the playoffs for
the first time since 1997.
"The team that gets on a roll now is the team that is going
to have success in the playoffs and our guys understood that,"
said Riders coach Danny Barrett after beating the Lions.
Of course, the Riders did receive a boost thanks to the
new playoff format.
At 8-10-0-2, the Riders finished fourth in the West with
18 points, two points behind third place B.C.
Under the old system, the Riders would have been consigned
to watching the playoffs from the sidelines. However, thanks
to the new crossover format, the Riders found themselves in
the postseason for the first time in five years.
Because they had a better record than the third place team
in the East -- Hamilton finished 7-11-0-1 with 15 points --
the Riders were able to win a playoff berth and the right
to face the Argos in the Division semifinal.
