Record numbers

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This article was published 26/08/2009 (6226 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SOMETIMES it’s easy to forget — especially with their struggles through the first eight games this season — that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a rich and storied history featuring spectacular per­formances authored by hall-of-fame players.

And then along comes Fred Reid with a remarkable effort last Friday in Vancouver to remind everyone of what greatness looks and feels like.

So the timing may be perfect, what with the Bombers in the midst of their bye week and Reid having broken Blaise Bryant’s 15-year-old record for rushing yardage in a game, to take a step back and revisit some of the franchise’s great moments and notable achievements. With that in mind, here is a breakdown of some of the records in the Bombers’ 79-year history yours truly thinks still jump out while leafing through their record book and the CFL Facts and Figures:

The untouchables

Three marks acid-etched into the

CFL record book:

Most career touchdowns — 147*

Milt Stegall, 1995-2008. (*-indicates CFL record)

FYI: Just to put this total in perspective, No. 2 on the Bomber all-time list is Charles Roberts, now out of the game, at 79. Worth noting, among active CFLers, B.C. Lions slotback Geroy Simon, who turns 34 next month, is closest to Stegall with 82 career TDs, followed by Jeremaine Copeland of Calgary with 66 while 37-year-old Ben Cahoon of Montreal and Hamilton’s Arland Bruce III, who is 31, have 64. Among current Bombers, Terrence Edwards has 22 career scores.

 

Most passing yards in a single game — 713*

Matt Dunigan vs. Edm., July 14, 1994.

FYI: Danny Barrett, then of B.C., broke Sam Etcheverry’s record of 586 passing yards in a game — set in 1954 — with 601 yards in a win over Toronto in August of 1993. Less than a year later Dunigan smashed that mark with his memorable 713-yard effort against the Eskimos. The highest total since is 546, set by Calgary’s Jeff Garcia in 1995. Only three times in this decade has a CFL QB thrown for over 500 yards in a game.

Most points in a single game — 36*

Bob McNamara, Wpg. at B.C., Oct. 13, 1956.

FYI: McNamara scored six TDs in that game (Winnipeg’s Eddie James had six TDs in a game in 1932, but prior to ’56 touchdowns were worth only five points). In the 53 years since McNamara’s amazing effort only five players have come close with five TDs in a game, including the Bombers’ Ernie Pitts in 1959, but none since 1995.

Rock-solid

Marks that aren’t unbreakable,

but are pretty dang close:

 

Most touchdowns in a single season — 23* Milt Stegall, 2002.

FYI: Stegall broke the record of 22 set by B.C. running back Cory Philpot in 1995 during his march to the CFL Most Outstanding Player Award seven years ago. Five other CFL players have scored 20 or more TDs in a season — Jon Volpe, B.C. and Blake Marshall, Edm., 20, in 1991; Darrell K. Smith, Tor., 20 in 1991; Pat Abbruzzi, Mtl., 20 in 1956 and Allen Pitts, Cal., who had 21 in 1994.

Most seasons played, games played, consecutive games played — 23/394/353*

Bob Cameron, 1980-2002.

FYI: Cameron’s 23 seasons and 394 games played are second on the CFL’s all-time list to B.C. legend Lui Passaglia, who played in 408 games over 25 years. The hall-of-fame Bomber punter does hold the league record with 353 consecutive games played; a mark that ended in 2000 when he missed a game with a wonky back. Interestingly, of the Top 7 names on the CFL’s most-games played list, five had stints with the Bombers: Cameron, Miles Gorrell, Paul Osbaldiston, Danny McManus and Troy Westwood.

Most career points in Bomber history — 2,749,

Troy Westwood, 1991-2007.

FYI: Of the Top 5 on the Bomber scoring chart, four did most of their scoring with their feet. Westwood eclipsed Trevor Kennerd’s mark of 1,840, Stegall is third at 886, kicker Bernie Ruoff is fourth at 673 and Gerry Games, the outstanding athlete who carried the ball and kicked for the Bombers and spent his winters with the Toronto Maple Leafs, had 601 points.

Most passing touchdowns in a single game — 7,

Jim Van Pelt, Wpg. at Sask., Aug. 29, 1959.

FYI: Van Pelt’s record has stood for 50 years — he broke Jack Jacobs’ mark of six set in 1952 — and has really only been threatened once, by Sean Salisbury, who threw for six scores in a 53-34 win over B.C. on Sept. 10, 1989. A Bomber QB has thrown for five TDs in a game on 10 occasions, once by Kevin Glenn (the latest in 2005), four times by Khari Jones, three times by Matt Dunigan and once each by Jacobs and Tom Burgess.

Most passing yards, career — 29,623,

Dieter Brock, 1974-83.

FYI: Second on the list is Khari Jones at 20,175 while Kevin Glenn is third at 18,116. The number is significant, to be sure, but a QB can also buy himself longevity here if he wins a championship. Jones broke down after repeated hits and Glenn was released for a so-so won-lost record and as impatience due to the long Grey Cup championship drought increased.

Longest-standing

A selection of records that have stood for a spell:

 

Highest kickoff return average, season —

Leo Lewis, 32.8 yards, 1957.

Highest passer rating, season —

Ken Ploen, 118.2, 1962.

Highest punt-return average, career (min. 150 returns) — 11.09 yards,

Gord Rowland, 1954-63

Most punt returns, career — 466,

Ron ‘Pepe’ Latourelle, 1955-64.

Most regular-season coaching wins, career —

Bud Grant, 102, 1957-66.

Longest kickoff return — 120 yards,

Mack Herron, Wpg. vs. Edm., Aug. 30, 1972.

Longest field goal — 58 yards,

Bernie Ruoff, Wpg. vs. Cal., Aug. 12, 1975.

Most pass completions, single game — 41,

Dieter Brock, Wpg. at Ott., Oct. 3, 1981.

Most consecutive pass completions, single game — 16, Dieter Brock, Wpg. at Ott., Oct. 3, 1981.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca