Five favourite Argonauts

[OV Argo]

Didn't the old site have some lists of posters' all-time Argo team - naming every position? That is tough and more thorough than just a top 5.

Might be cool to see some of those all-time team lists and have as a sticky here ?

[LLB997]

My top 5 is a mix of skill and personality. Steak and sizzle if u will

1.Condredge Holloway
2.Chad Owens
3.Pinball Clemons
4.Carl Brazley
5.Gene Mack

[1argoholic]

Gene Mack would top an all time Argo Character list.

[stuntdog]

For entertainment value...

1. Kerwin Bell


2. Robert Baker
3. Noel Prefontaine


4. Adriano Belli
5. Bashir Levingston


Honorable mention to Clifford Ivory, Chad Folk, John Avery, Andre Talbot, Jude St John, Michael Bishop & Wayne Lammle

[ArgoGabe22]

How did we all miss Belli?

[paulwoods13]

Didn't the old site have some lists of posters' all-time Argo team - naming every position? That is tough and more thorough than just a top 5.

Might be cool to see some of those all-time team lists and have as a sticky here ?

Good idea. I think we should also create a list of who should be added to the all-time Argonauts list on the banners. Many great players are not yet on that list. IMO to qualify you should have played at least five years with the Argos and should be most identified with the Argos if you also played for other teams. So that would disqualify Flutie and Allen and Dunigan, which would be fine with me. They were all great Argos but are more associated with other teams and/or had short tenures in Toronto.

[OV Argo]

Good idea. I think we should also create a list of who should be added to the all-time Argonauts list on the banners. Many great players are not yet on that list. IMO to qualify you should have played at least five years with the Argos and should be most identified with the Argos if you also played for other teams. So that would disqualify Flutie and Allen and Dunigan, which would be fine with me. They were all great Argos but are more associated with other teams and/or had short tenures in Toronto.

I get what you mean about qualifying and the career Argo thing; but an all-time Argo all-star type roster should IMO still be open to anyone who played for the Argos (and obviously was outstanding) - SO - players like Flutie or Bruce Clark who played just 2 seasons, could get voted for based on pure football talent or Argo success; but I would understand those who choose not to vote for such players in favor of guys with much longer Argo careers. (Flutie is probably the only such guy i would vote for on my team - 2 GC winning seasons by one of the greatest QBs ever to play in the CFL and in his prime; AND the Argos just do NOT (arguably) have any great long Argot career QBs, unless you go back before my time i guess - somebody like Krol).

[Will]

Feel free to start your own threads on those topics. It would be good discussion for the off-season, which is very slow.

[paulwoods13]

I get what you mean about qualifying and the career Argo thing; but an all-time Argo all-star type roster should IMO still be open to anyone who played for the Argos (and obviously was outstanding) - SO - players like Flutie or Bruce Clark who played just 2 seasons, could get voted for based on pure football talent or Argo success; but I would understand those who choose not to vote for such players in favor of guys with much longer Argo careers. (Flutie is probably the only such guy i would vote for on my team - 2 GC winning seasons by one of the greatest QBs ever to play in the CFL and in his prime; AND the Argos just do NOT (arguably) have any great long Argot career QBs, unless you go back before my time i guess - somebody like Krol).

I agree that Flutie, for instance, could and maybe should be considered the greatest QB in Argo history. But paradoxically I would not put him up on the banners in the stadium as an all-time Argonaut because, to me, that honour should be reserved for guys who were with the team a long time and/or most closely associated with the Argos rather than other teams. I will start a separate thread on this topic.

[Argo]

In no particular order:

Carl Brazley
Leon McQuay
Terry Greer
Eric Harris
Paul Masotti (or "Paul Mastoid", according to the spell-checker)

Essentially, I really cannot choose just five players: it's too painful not including Eric Allen, Jim Stillwagon, Jim Corrigall, Darrel K. Smith, Don Moen, Mike Eben, Granville Liggans, Mel Profit, Marv Luster, Paul Pearson, Doyle Orange, Condredge Holloway, Doug Flutie, Michael Clemons, ... and so many other wonderful Argos.

[ArgoZ]

I like this thread because it's a list of everyone's favourite players and not just skilled. I'm a 90's guy, so my list is heavy influenced by that era.

Michael Clemons is the most likable athlete of all time. Even my Grandmother liked him. Now my next five in order.

2. Mike O'Shea - His rookie season, he was the only Ti-Cat to stay post game and give this Argo fan an autograph. The way he played. Make a drive ending tackle, then be first downfield on ST.
3. Paul Masotti - I always tried to copy his signature hook pattern when playing myself. He had a cottage near my home on Lake Erie.
4. Matt Dunigan - Was a true warrior. All iced up and won us a Cup. Once asked me for a Toronto Sun while he was headed to his Cudas bus. I happily obliged and he stopped to sign all my stuff before he got on.
5. Byron Parker - Always made the clutch play. An emotional and proud Argonaut. All around great guy.
6. Doug Flutie - I appreciated his talent more than anything. Not very likable and a little arrogant, but he came to play every single down.

7. Honorable mentions go to Don Moen, Chris Schultz, Adrian Smith, Noel Prefontaine, Andre Durie and Chad Owens.

[eiben35]

Pinball Clemons
Kevin Eiben
Jonathan Brown
Derrell "Mookie" Mitchell
Don Moen

[1argoholic]

See every time I someone else posts I see other names of guys I loved like Moen, Eiban and Eric Harris.

McQuay would be one of my least favs as he was a total prick to my cousin and I as we tried to get his autograph at CNE Stadium after a practice once. We were at the top of Ontario Place before the new Blue Jay section at CNE and we could see the Argos practicing so we ran over. So many of the guys were great including Russ Jackson who was coaching at the time. McQuay was a KNOB who couldn't hold onto a ball when it counted.

[paulwoods13]

See every time I someone else posts I see other names of guys I loved like Moen, Eiban and Eric Harris.

McQuay would be one of my least favs as he was a total prick to my cousin and I as we tried to get his autograph at CNE Stadium after a practice once. We were at the top of Ontario Place before the new Blue Jay section at CNE and we could see the Argos practicing so we ran over. So many of the guys were great including Russ Jackson who was coaching at the time. McQuay was a KNOB who couldn't hold onto a ball when it counted.

I think you may mean Anthony Davis, not McQuay. Leon was with the Argos 1971-73, Jackson was coach 1975-76 and Davis was an Argo in 1976. The stadium was reconfigured for baseball starting in 1976.

[OV Argo]

I think you may mean Anthony Davis, not McQuay. Leon was with the Argos 1971-73, Jackson was coach 1975-76 and Davis was an Argo in 1976. The stadium was reconfigured for baseball starting in 1976.

Man - the Argos had some great talent at times at RB back in those days - Symons, McQuay ( a "knob" maybe but one of the most explosive running backs i've ever seen - in ANY football), Anthony Davis, Terry Metcalf ... a lineage carried on thru to the likes of Cedric Minter (maybe not a real great ground game force but a real dual threat as a receiver as well), Pinball, Gill Fenerty .., Mike Jenkins, Cory Boyd, even Chad Kackert for one season = some very talented RBs have worn the Double Blue ! Too bad not many of them lasted long-term as Argo dominant CFL backs who led the offence to great success - Minter and Pinball and Kack were key to GC wins though; Leon and Gill and the Thrill = almost.

[paulwoods13]

The Argos get criticized a lot for never developing their "own" QB, but they could also be criticized for never (other than Pinball) managing to keep good RBs around very long. Mind you, they aren't the only team to fail in that regard. Hamilton has also had mostly short-lived backs, as has Edm since Jim Germany and Blake Marshall. Calgary and Winnipeg have probably had the most success finding long-term backs, although "long-term" is somewhat relative at that position.

[matchuk]

pinball
jonathan brown
jordan younger
damon allen
prefontaine

[OV Argo]

The Argos get criticized a lot for never developing their "own" QB, but they could also be criticized for never (other than Pinball) managing to keep good RBs around very long. Mind you, they aren't the only team to fail in that regard. Hamilton has also had mostly short-lived backs, as has Edm since Jim Germany and Blake Marshall. Calgary and Winnipeg have probably had the most success finding long-term backs, although "long-term" is somewhat relative at that position.

True i guess - but maybe it could also be argued that the Argos have had so much RB talent that the NFL would eventually call - McQuay, Davis, (Metcalf went back), Minter, Fenerty, Jenkins all got lured away ... too bad. wish the Argos had hung on to Neil Lumsden who went on to be a CFL force for the Esks for a number of years - Argos never shown much faith in Canadian RBs compared to some CFL teams it seems ... coulda drafted Jon Cornish

[paulwoods13]

True i guess - but maybe it could also be argued that the Argos have had so much RB talent that the NFL would eventually call - McQuay, Davis, (Metcalf went back), Minter, Fenerty, Jenkins all got lured away ... too bad. wish the Argos had hung on to Neil Lumsden who went on to be a CFL force for the Esks for a number of years - Argos never shown much faith in Canadian RBs compared to some CFL teams it seems ... coulda drafted Jon Cornish

McQuay got traded to Calgary before going to the NFL. Davis may have "jumped" to the NFL but he would have been released anyway. Fenerty and Minter were all-time greats whose departures will forever be lamented. Jenkins flared up briefly but I wouldn't rate him in the same class as minter, fenerty or kackert -- maybe becuz he had the misfortune of being a feature back under the horrendously bad John Huard.

[Argo57]

True i guess - but maybe it could also be argued that the Argos have had so much RB talent that the NFL would eventually call - McQuay, Davis, (Metcalf went back), Minter, Fenerty, Jenkins all got lured away ... too bad. wish the Argos had hung on to Neil Lumsden who went on to be a CFL force for the Esks for a number of years - Argos never shown much faith in Canadian RBs compared to some CFL teams it seems ... coulda drafted Jon Cornish

Another guy they let get away was Mark Braganolo a good Canadian RB who played his first 3 seasons with the Argos and went on to have a pretty solid career (mainly in the Hammer).