No. 85 says goodbye

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/02/2009 (6275 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

IT began — as Milt Stegall’s media gatherings often do — with a smart-alec quip about not tak­ing any banned substances or steroids, a la Alex Rodriguez. And the farewell address also featured an assortment of gracious thank-yous and acknowledgments.

But the Winnipeg Blue Bomber and Canadian Football League legend’s official retirement announcement also came without a single tear being shed. That may come later, in private, but it also hammered home a point he has been making for much of his 14-year-career: He wasn’t out there trying to cure cancer or fighting just to put food on the table — he was playing a game for a living.

And, ultimately, it’s that sense of perspective he hopes will be considered when folks get around to measuring his true legacy; that it won’t be about the touchdowns he racked up, but in some of the lives he may have touched off the football field.

"My wife has never seen my cry," said Stegall, accompanied by wife Darlene and his two sons, Chase and Collin. "She was asking me last night, ‘How’s it feel doing this?’ and I said, ‘It’s no big deal.’ Will I shed a tear? Not right now. But maybe once I sit down and think about it, or when training camp rolls around, then it will hit me.

"It’s an emotional time. Not many athletes think about retiring, but the more years you play, you know eventually it’s going to be your time one way or another. You’re either going to jump or you’re going to be pushed. I was fortunate in that I was able to jump. The Bombers allowed me to play my entire career here and it’s been a blessing.

"It’s a great day. It’s not only about the things on the football field that I’ll remember, but the things off the football field, the people I’ve met, the friendships I’ll have forever with people on the team, in the community and the organization and throughout Canada."

Stegall exits the game as the CFL’s all-time touchdown leader (147) and reception yardage leader (15,153 yards) and also holds the league record for career receiving TDs (144), most TDs in a season (23) and most games with a receiving TD (105). All 14 of his seasons were in Bomber colours and the club announced Wednesday it would waive the three-year waiting period for induction into its hall of fame by enshrining Stegall this year. Only one other player, punter Bob Cameron, was afforded that same privilege.

"That’s an honour and a pleasure," Stegall said. "You hear a lot of guys talk about it and wish they’d have an opportunity. It’s a privilege and I’m definitely overwhelmed knowing that I’ll be in there with some of the greatest players, not only in Blue Bombers history, but in CFL history.

"Knowing that I’m going in right away is a pleasure and I appreciate it."

A workout fiend, Stegall is already turning his fixation on fitness into a business opportunity, as he is now a personal trainer to several athletes in the Atlanta area. He’s also been hired by TSN to provide analysis for nine CFL games this season and will likely remain involved with the Bombers as an ambassador of some sort.

The decision to retire is hardly earth-shattering, as he has been hinting at stepping away from the game for a number of years. But after having knee surgery last May and appearing in only 12 games — latching onto 29 passes for 458 yards and three TDs, ending a streak of nine consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns — Stegall knew it was time.

His greatest regret, he insisted, was not finishing his career without a Grey Cup ring, but retiring without his two sons and his father — who passed away when Stegall was in high school — being able to see him play.

And what will he miss the most? he was asked. It’s many things, actually. Things like friends he made locally on and off the field and the camaraderie of a locker-room. But most of all, what he’ll miss is what all star athletes covet: the adulation of fans.

"Every time I see somebody with that No. 85 jersey on, it’s still hard to believe I’m the reason they have it on," Stegall said. "It’s overwhelming. I don’t do any drugs, I don’t drink… but the greatest high I’ve ever had was when I was on that field and I hear fans screaming my name and I look up and see people with my jersey on. That’s the one thing I’ll miss the most, because there’s no occupation that can pay me enough to describe that feeling, that high I get from that.

"I’m not sad it’s over, but happy I got the chance to experience it."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

So many moments, so many memories

A look at some — but certainly not all — of Milt Stegall’s biggest days in a mini-timeline of his 14 years in Winnipeg:

Sept. 19, 1995: Stegall arrives in Winnipeg in September after three years with the Cincinnati Bengals and a stint with the Green Bay Packers. He plays the last six games, scores first TD in his first game in September, in Calgary, while pulling in six passes for 93 yards.

Oct. 19, 1997: The legend hauls in four passes for 119 yards and two TDs against the Alouettes as part of a season in which he sets a CFL record — which still stands — with a 26.5-yards-per-catch average.

Nov. 25, 2001: Stegall makes one of the most spectacular TD catches in Grey Cup history — alas, in a loss as the 14-4 Bombers fall 27-19 to the 8-10 Calgary Stampeders.

Oct. 6, 2002: The TD machine scorches the Roughriders with nine catches for 184 yards and four touchdowns in a season in which he would finish with 106 receptions for 1,896 yards and 23 scores — another CFL record that still stands — en route to being named the league’s Most Outstanding Player.

July 22, 2004: Stegall moves past hall of famer James Murphy with his 574th career reception to become the Bombers’ all-time receptions leader. He retires with 854 career catches.

July 20, 2006: In his favourite single moment — and a play he argues is the greatest in CFL history — Stegall pulls in a 100-yard, game-winning pass from Kevin Glenn on the last play of the game during a win in Edmonton.

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July 27, 2007: On a warm summer night in front of the Bomber faithful, Stegall passes George Reed and Mike Pringle with career touchdown No. 138 on a shovel pass from Glenn.

Sept. 12, 2008: Turtleman catches just two passes, but they are both for TDs, in a win over Toronto. Fittingly, with the second score — a 92-yarder in which he slipped behind coverage and was not caught — Stegall moves past Allen Pitts to become the CFL’s all-time career receiving yardage leader. He finishes his career with 15,153 yards.

Feb. 18, 2009: Stegall announces his retirement after 14 seasons with the Bombers and the club announces he’ll be immediately inducted into their hall of fame.

— Tait