Coach Q passes away

[ArgoRavi]

In recent weeks, we have seen the deaths of Vic Rapp and Jim Eddy. Another CFL head coach from that era just passed away and that is the unforgettable Lary Kuharich. Allan Maki has written a great article about some of Kuharich's most memorable moments: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/late-cfl-coach-lary-kuharich-had-a-tumultuous-tenure-in-calgary/article32865292/

[paulwoods13]

I was a reporter in Calgary when Kuharich was appointed head coach. At the news conference introducing him as head coach, I asked how his last name was pronounced since I had heard some broadcasters say Q-HAIR-ik and others say Koo-HARR-itch. He wouldn't tell me the right way or even his own preference. What an enigma.

[Will]

An interesting article, Ravi. I didn't know the story about basically taking over in the middle of the game. I know the Argos beat Calgary twice pretty easily early in that season before Kuharich took over I presume.

[paulwoods13]

Kuharich was fired after the second of back-to-back blowout losses to the Argos: 68-43 at SkyDome and 49-19 at B.C. Place. The former is still the highest-scoring game in history. This must also be a record for most points scored by one team in back-to-back games (117).

I can vividly picture fans pelting Kuharich with cups and other debris as he left the Vancouver field just before getting fired. Must surely be the only coach in history to be gassed mid-season despite having Doug Flutie as one of his QBs.

[argoscott]

I remember him well, so sad

[ArgoRavi]

An interesting article, Ravi. I didn't know the story about basically taking over in the middle of the game. I know the Argos beat Calgary twice pretty easily early in that season before Kuharich took over I presume.

I didn't know the story of him taking over mid-game either until I read that Allan Maki article. I remember that Calgary/Ottawa game well as the Stamps trailed by 25 or 26 points late in the third quarter or early in the fourth quarter before coming back to win. That game has even been shown on ESPN Classics although the editing job is horrendous. If you watch the edited version, the drama of that huge comeback has been eliminated as they don't even show a couple of the Calgary TDs.

Anyway, I always remembered Vespaziani being fired a day or two after that game but I never understood why they would have made the move then until I read this article.

[Will]

I didn't know the story of him taking over mid-game either until I read that Allan Maki article. I remember that Calgary/Ottawa game well as the Stamps trailed by 25 or 26 points late in the third quarter or early in the fourth quarter before coming back to win. That game has even been shown on ESPN Classics although the editing job is horrendous. If you watch the edited version, the drama of that huge comeback has been eliminated as they don't even show a couple of the Calgary TDs.

Anyway, I always remembered Vespaziani being fired a day or two after that game but I never understood why they would have made the move then until I read this article.

It's similar to the editing job done on the '83 Grey Cup. I think it immediately jumps to Minter's TD, but leaves out the catches by Tolbert and Pearson respectively that set up the touchdown.

[Will]

Kuharich was fired after the second of back-to-back blowout losses to the Argos: 68-43 at SkyDome and 49-19 at B.C. Place. The former is still the highest-scoring game in history. This must also be a record for most points scored by one team in back-to-back games (117).

I can vividly picture fans pelting Kuharich with cups and other debris as he left the Vancouver field just before getting fired. Must surely be the only coach in history to be gassed mid-season despite having Doug Flutie as one of his QBs.

It actually isn't because the 70-18 win over Calgary and 60-39 win over Hamilton were back-to-back.

[paulwoods13]

It actually isn't because the 70-18 win over Calgary and 60-39 win over Hamilton were back-to-back.

You are right -- I had forgotten that. What an offence that season -- best in CFL history, IMO. Take away its inability to figure out how to beat the Bombers, and we'd probably be remembering that as the greatest team ever. In one five-game span they scored 68, 49, 39, 70 and 60 points: an AVERAGE of 57 points per game.

[Will]

You are right -- I had forgotten that. What an offence that season -- best in CFL history, IMO. Take away its inability to figure out how to beat the Bombers, and we'd probably be remembering that as the greatest team ever. In one five-game span they scored 68, 49, 39, 70 and 60 points: an AVERAGE of 57 points per game.

Is there a way we can adjust offences to compare between eras?