Sam Etcheverry
Encyclopedia
Sam "The Rifle" Etcheverry (May 20, 1930 – August 29, 2009) was a professional American
and Canadian football
player and head coach
. Etcheverry played the quarterback position, most famously with the Montreal Alouettes
of the Canadian Football League
, and was named Canadian football's Most Outstanding Player in 1954. Etcheverry's jersey #92 is one of seven retired by the Alouettes.
Etcheverry is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
, and in 2006, was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players
(#26) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN
.
from 1949 to 1951 where he still holds most of the Pioneers' football records for passing offense.
of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (which became part of the Canadian Football League
in 1958 and was renamed the Eastern Football Conference in 1960). As his team's quarterback
, he was twice voted "Most Outstanding Player" of the eastern pro circuit and was named an eastern all-star six times (1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960
). In 1954, Etcheverry was awarded the Schenley Award (most outstanding player in the Canadian Rugby Union
).
Etcheverry set a single-game passing record of 586 yards in 1954 that stood for 39 years until the 1993 CFL season
. He also set a season passing record in 1954 of 3,610 yards that was not only a CFL record but also eclipsed the NFL record set in the 1947 NFL season
by Pro Football Hall of Fame
r Sammy Baugh
of the Washington Redskins
. Etcheverry still holds the record for most passing yards in a Grey Cup
game with 508 set in a loss to the Edmonton Eskimos
in the 1955 game
.
A sports icon in the city of Montreal, Quebec, when Etcheverry and star receiver Hal Patterson were traded to the last-place Hamilton Tiger-Cats
in 1960
, it caused an enormous public outcry and led to Etcheverry leaving the Canadian Football League and signing with the St. Louis Cardinals
of the National Football League
, playing for St. Louis during 1961–62.
in 1964 as the head coach of the Quebec Rifles
of the United Football League. The league folded at the end of the season and Etcheverry remained out of coaching until 1967 when he became an assistant at Loyola College
in Montreal.
On December 9, 1969, Etcheverry was hired to coach the Alouettes. In his first season, he led the Als to victory in the 58th Grey Cup championship game
. He resigned at the end of the 1972 CFL season
. His overall record is 14–24–1.
In 1982 he became the general manager and president of the Montreal Concordes. Etcheverry was fired shortly before the start of the 1983 season
and head coach Joe Galat
replaced him as general manager.
Following the demise of the Concordes, Etcheverry joined a group interested in bringing an NFL franchise to Montreal. He was one of the group's representatives at the 1988 NFL owners meeting.
in 1969 and was an inaugural inductee into the University of Denver Athletics Hall of Fame upon its formation in 1996.
In November, 2006, Etcheverry was chosen 26th amongst the CFL's 50 Greatest Players
in a TSN
poll.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
player and head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
. Etcheverry played the quarterback position, most famously with the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, and was named Canadian football's Most Outstanding Player in 1954. Etcheverry's jersey #92 is one of seven retired by the Alouettes.
Etcheverry is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
Canadian Football Hall of Fame
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
, and in 2006, was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players
TSN Top 50 CFL Players
The TSN Top 50 CFL Players was a list of the greatest fifty Canadian Football League players, as selected by a panel of sixty former CFL players, then-current and former coaches, executives, and media members in 2006. The panel was assembled by sports television network TSN in partnership with the...
(#26) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
.
College career
Etcheverry was the son of Basque sheep farmers who emigrated to New Mexico. Known as "The Rifle", Etcheverry played for the University of DenverUniversity of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
from 1949 to 1951 where he still holds most of the Pioneers' football records for passing offense.
Professional football career
In 1952, Etcheverry joined the Montreal AlouettesMontreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (which became part of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
in 1958 and was renamed the Eastern Football Conference in 1960). As his team's quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, he was twice voted "Most Outstanding Player" of the eastern pro circuit and was named an eastern all-star six times (1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960
1960 CFL season
The 1960 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 7th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 3rd Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1960:...
). In 1954, Etcheverry was awarded the Schenley Award (most outstanding player in the Canadian Rugby Union
Football Canada
Football Canada is the governing body for amateur Canadian football. It is Canada's representative member of the International Federation of American Football , the world's governing body for American football.-History:...
).
Etcheverry set a single-game passing record of 586 yards in 1954 that stood for 39 years until the 1993 CFL season
1993 CFL season
The 1993 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 40th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 36th Canadian Football League season.-CFL news in 1993:...
. He also set a season passing record in 1954 of 3,610 yards that was not only a CFL record but also eclipsed the NFL record set in the 1947 NFL season
1947 NFL season
The 1947 NFL season was the 28th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season by one game from eleven games per team to twelve, a number that remained constant until the 1961 season....
by Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
r Sammy Baugh
Sammy Baugh
Samuel Adrian "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the Horned Frogs at Texas Christian University, where he was a two-time All-American. He then played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 1952...
of the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. Etcheverry still holds the record for most passing yards in a Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
game with 508 set in a loss to the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
in the 1955 game
43rd Grey Cup
The 43rd Grey Cup game was played on November 26, 1955 before 39,417 football fans at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. This was the first Grey Cup played in Vancouver.The Edmonton Eskimos beat Montreal Alouettes by the score of 34 to 19.- Box Score :...
.
A sports icon in the city of Montreal, Quebec, when Etcheverry and star receiver Hal Patterson were traded to the last-place Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
in 1960
1960 CFL season
The 1960 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 7th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 3rd Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1960:...
, it caused an enormous public outcry and led to Etcheverry leaving the Canadian Football League and signing with the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, playing for St. Louis during 1961–62.
Coaching career
Etcheverry returned to CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1964 as the head coach of the Quebec Rifles
Toronto Rifles
The Toronto Rifles were a minor-league professional American football team active between 1964 and 1967. It was based in Toronto, Ontario. The team's home fields were Maple Leaf Stadium and Varsity Stadium from 1966 to 1967...
of the United Football League. The league folded at the end of the season and Etcheverry remained out of coaching until 1967 when he became an assistant at Loyola College
Loyola College (Montreal)
Loyola College was a Jesuit college in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It ceased to exist when it was incorporated into Concordia University in 1974. A portion of the original College remains as a separate entity called Loyola High School....
in Montreal.
On December 9, 1969, Etcheverry was hired to coach the Alouettes. In his first season, he led the Als to victory in the 58th Grey Cup championship game
58th Grey Cup
The 58th Grey Cup was played on November 28, 1970 before 32,669 fans at Exhibition Stadium at Toronto. The Montreal Alouettes defeated the Calgary Stampeders 23 to 10...
. He resigned at the end of the 1972 CFL season
1972 CFL season
The 1972 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 19th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 15th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1972:...
. His overall record is 14–24–1.
In 1982 he became the general manager and president of the Montreal Concordes. Etcheverry was fired shortly before the start of the 1983 season
1983 CFL season
The 1983 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 30th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 26th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1983:...
and head coach Joe Galat
Joe Galat
Joe Galat was born in Painesville, Ohio and has extensive experience in professional football as a player, coach, general manager, broadcaster, and youth executive. He is best known as a former college and professional football coach who starred at Miami University as a player...
replaced him as general manager.
Following the demise of the Concordes, Etcheverry joined a group interested in bringing an NFL franchise to Montreal. He was one of the group's representatives at the 1988 NFL owners meeting.
Awards and honours
Etcheverry was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of FameCanadian Football Hall of Fame
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
in 1969 and was an inaugural inductee into the University of Denver Athletics Hall of Fame upon its formation in 1996.
In November, 2006, Etcheverry was chosen 26th amongst the CFL's 50 Greatest Players
TSN Top 50 CFL Players
The TSN Top 50 CFL Players was a list of the greatest fifty Canadian Football League players, as selected by a panel of sixty former CFL players, then-current and former coaches, executives, and media members in 2006. The panel was assembled by sports television network TSN in partnership with the...
in a TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
poll.