69th CONN SMYTHE DINNER RECOGNIZES ”PINBALL” WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

[1971GreyCup]

Another well deserved honour to Mike. Six time CFL MVP Doug Flutie came to town and introduced the “Pinball.” It made for a remarkable evening for an Argos fan. Much talk about the magical two years they played together and their enduring love. So much in their histories common for these two underrated, undersized professionals.

So many fun stories about the 2 seasons. Wow, 30 - 6 record. Doug played two years and two Grey Cups. Remarkable. Doug talked about going from the serious, uptight Calgary Stampeders locker room led by Wally Buono and John Hufnagel to the loose, unconventional Argos of Don Matthews and “”Pinball.” He mentioned that the Stampeders should have won more Grey Cups, if they weren’t so uptight.

What I loved most was the intimacy shared by the two legends of the game. For a couple of hours they couldn’t get enough of each other.

The event raised $400k and the CFL/Argos were represented by Commish Randy Ambrosie, Argos HC Ryan Dinwiddie, Matt Black, Vince Magri, Mike Hogan, Jadon Colero and Rob Richardson. It’s remarkable how approachable and considerate the league and the team remains.

I love seeing the Argos and the CFL on a level playing field with the Raptors and Maple Leafs just like it used to be. “Pinball” and Flutie cache will always be associated with excellence.

A night I’ll not soon forget.

[jerrym]

Great to see all of Pinball's work being recognized.