Rick Moffat
CFL.ca
The day after setting pro football’s all-time passing record, Anthony Calvillo admitted he’s a better student of the game than he was a student of history.
Yes, even football history.
He’ll put hours of film study in before some opponents, even as his teammates are pouring out of bed. However, don’t ask him to go back in time to former football greats.
“I don’t remember idolizing one particular guy,” the Los Angeles-raised Calvillo recalled after throwing his way over Warren Moon, Dan Marino, Brett Favre and Damon Allen among others.
“Growing up in California we always had the Chargers and Raiders playing so I just remember Jim Plunkett, Danny White and Dan Fouts. But it wasn’t a thing like I was in the backyard and went out to mimic.”
“I always went to class but I’m not a history buff,” Calvillo confessed.
Since breaking the record, Calvillo has been garnering some much-deserved attention from the football community. His former teammate, Ben Cahoon, was one of them.
“He deserves that record – he has worked his tail off and approached his job like no other,” said Calvillo’s long-time target Cahoon, now a coach at BYU.
“He deserves to be on top.”
“We talked about our long-term plans on occasion and how many years we’d play. I know that all-time record figured into things.”
The Calvillo-to-Cahoon connection was a marvel of unspoken communication on the field. On the sidelines, however, Calvillo often seemed to enjoy his time alone.
“He liked to be on his own – it disturbed me at times,” admitted Cahoon. “I didn’t like to see him over there on the edge of the bench isolated. So I’d go over and we’d sit there in our silence. I was always careful to suggest things or tell him too much because he had a command of the offence and what the defence was trying to do and he just needed to gather his thoughts.”
While many credit Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman with rejuvenating “Air Calvillo”, Cahoon points to Als’ offensive coordinator Scott Milanovich.
“It’s tough to come in and coach a guy who is older than you and has played 200 more games than you. I think some coaches have struggled with that because Anthony’s this legend and an icon,” said Cahoon.
“Milanovich had instant credibility…correcting him but also allowing Anthony to be his own self. It’s been a great thing to watch. They’ve been able to make adjustments to make his game even better.”
The youngest 39-year old in football has been guzzling from the fountain of youth these days. He is widely recognized for coming out on top of adversity. Throughout his time in the spotlight, Calvillo has been forced to endure some serious speed-bumps, including his wife Alexia’s battle with cancer, and more recently, his own.
Shockingly, Monday’s historic moment could have almost never happened, according to Alouettes general manager Jim Popp.
“Don (Matthews) spent a month in the dungeon of Olympic Stadium watching film and he wasn’t convinced Anthony should be our quarterback,” revealed Popp.
It was another winter of playoff disappointment and those who knew The Don knew no one’s job with the 2002 version of the Als was safe.
“Don emerged a month later and goes: ’God I had no idea he was that good. We’re going take some of things we did with Flutie and we’re going to build it on him. He’s going to call his own plays…he’s that good,’” said Popp.
Popp, Matthews and Calvillo would eventually taste Grey Cup victory. However, Calvillo’s journey to the top began well before then.
With his star quarterback Tracy Ham nearing the end of his career, Popp extended a hand to Calvillo, who just could not pass up the opportunity to learn from one of the greats.
“I just knew deep down that if I had another bad year my career would be over,” Calvillo candidly remembers.
“I had two contract offers: one from Saskatchewan and one from Montreal. I felt the best situation for me was to go to a winning organization and learn from an experienced quarterback, something I’d never done. I was never at the point where I was going to throw in the towel. I just felt I had to retool.”
“It was November 2002 and I had a call from Kevin Colbert, the general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers, telling us they were going to sign Anthony,” says Popp.
“Tommy Maddox was their quarterback and they felt Anthony could back him up or if something happened to Maddox be their starter. “
“It’s just weird how things happen, but Anthony hurt his ankle in the East Division championship. He had the ankle taped up like a cast for the Grey Cup. He was MVP and we won. In January the Steelers wanted him to work out. He still couldn’t push off very well, so they decide not to sign him. Anthony dropped his agent, got the deal done to stay in Montreal and the Steelers drafted Roethlisberger. I think it worked out for both teams pretty well.”
Eighteen years before becoming a passing history lesson, AC needed some tutoring in football geography.
“I started getting some indication (about the CFL) from my quarterback coach Jim Zorn. He’d played up in Winnipeg (after starring with the NFL’s Seahawks) and Charlie Weatherbie our head coach had played in Edmonton for a year (behind Canadian Football Hall of Famers Tom Wilkinson and of course Warren Moon on the ’79 Esks). Zorn was good buddies with Ken Easley (another ex-Seahawk) who had an agency. He told me Las Vegas wanted to sign me.”
“I was still in school and left that spring to go try out, and made the team. I didn’t know anything about the league,” said Calvillo.
“I’d actually had an open tryout with the Blue Bombers before Vegas, but if Winnipeg had offered me a contract I couldn’t sign because Las Vegas had my rights.”
And the rest if history.
