TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Considering Bob Cameron retired at age 48, after 23 years and 353 consecutive games, his career yardage record is almost untouchable.

He's a Canadian Football Hall of Famer now and, understandably, there are many ways to judge the greatness of Bob Cameron.

There are the juicy statistics he piled up over a remarkable 23-year career that have led him to become the first punter ever inducted into a pro-football shrine, including suiting up for 353 consecutive games and punting for more yards than anyone in CFL history.

There are the awards, including being named a CFL all-star four times, honoured as the Most-Valuable Canadian in the 1988 Grey Cup and twice named the Bombers top Canadian.

But in paying tribute to his consistency and his astonishing longevity -- he punted until he was 48 -- what can often be overlooked is his unwavering perseverance in chasing his dream.

In the beginning -- long before he became as recognizable to Bomber fans as Tom Clements, Willard Reaves, James Murphy, Joe Poplawski, Chris Walby, Khari Jones or Milt Stegall -- Cameron was told eight times he wasn't good enough.

E-i-g-h-t.

"I kept thinking, 'OK, the next time it's going to happen for me,'" Cameron explained Tuesday, not long after his inclusion to the Hall of Fame was made official.

"I can remember one of my best friend's father came up to me and said, 'Why don't you just give up, Bob, and pack it in? It's obvious you're not good enough.' He came right out and said that to me. But I remember at the time saying, 'You know what? I think I am good enough and I just have to find a coach that's going to agree with me.'

"When you get cut as many times as I was and to go from that to 30 years later to this... you never, ever suspect it could happen. I couldn't be more fortunate."

Still, look at this collection of coaches who either delivered the bad news to Cameron directly or were in charge when he was cut: Hugh Campbell in Edmonton, Jack Gotta in Calgary, Ottawa's George Brancato, Chuck Knox with the Buffalo Bills, Dick Vermeil with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dick Shatto in Toronto and John Payne in Hamilton.

When it was suggested to Cameron that's a pretty impressive list of hall-of-fame bosses, the old hoofer fires back one of his typical dry responses:

"Yes, thank you. But they didn't know what they were talking about."

Now just for the record it was Ray Jauch who was the first to give Cameron a real shot, with the Bombers back in 1979. And while Cal Murphy would cut Cameron in 1983 briefly, it was more of a paper move, and it was Kindly Cal who showed faith and loyalty in him for years.

Still, it says something about Cameron that while many would have been emotionally scarred by the whole experience before landing regular work, he managed to stick it out to carve out a spectacular career that includes three championships.

And, as he pointed out on Tuesday, how many punters -- courtesy super-fan Cathy Garski -- would have their own cheering section at home games?

"I couldn't be more fortunate," said Cameron. "I never led the league in punting. I did a pretty good job for a number of years and had coaches that stuck with me when I was struggling. That's how you hang in there.

"I couldn't be happier, to be honest with you."

Cameron is part of a star-studded class of 2010 that includes another Bomber, defensive end Elfrid Payton, quarterback Tracy Ham, receiver Don Narcisse and builder Joe Pistilli.

Tracy Ham: Played with Edmonton, Toronto, Baltimore and Montreal and became the first QB to rush for over 1,000 yards. Named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 1989 and, at the time of his retirement, held the record for most yards rushing by a QB (since broken by Damon Allen).

Don Narcisse: One of the all-time greats in Saskatchewan Roughrider history. Holds the CFL record for most consecutive games catching passes (216); was a CFL all-star four times and had seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

Elfrid Payton: Played for the Bombers on three different occasions, beginning his CFL career here in 1991, and then returning for the 2000 and 2004 seasons. Ranks fourth all-time on the Bomber quarterback-sack list and, after playing for Baltimore, Montreal and Edmonton, finished with 154 in his career -- second only to Grover Covington.

Joe Pistilli: Heavily involved with junior football in Quebec for 42 years and for 29 years with Football Canada.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Call to the Hall was no prank

Best player you ever played with: Tom Clements.

Most memorable game: 1984 West Final win over B.C. Lions.

Funniest teammate: Tyrone Jones.

Best coach: (tie): Cal Murphy and Mike Riley.

Worst memory: Being cut before a game in Hamilton with my family, friends and high-school teammates in the crowd. That was cruel and unusual punishment.

One word to describe the CFL expansion to the US in the 1990s: Idiotic.

Best punter you've ever seen: Jon Ryan.

Favourite player as a kid: Bernie Faloney.

Your best skill/characteristic: perseverance.

What you would have done if football hadn't turned out: teach or be an entrepreneur.

On how he found out he was being inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame: "I answer the phone and this guy says, 'I'm Mark Cohon, I'm the commissioner of the CFL and we're going to induct you into the hall of fame' and I immediately said, 'Yeah, right. And who actually are you?' He managed to convince me. It was the first I'd heard of it and he had trouble keeping my mouth shut after that. I was pretty excited."

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 3, 2010 C1