Team: Montreal Alouttes
Number/Position: #13 / QB
Date of Birth: August 23, 1972
Most football players would be pleased with the kind
of year Anthony Calvillo had in 2002. But not number
13 - far from it in fact. "Finding a way to win
a championship was the key to the season in 2002. The
challenge for 2003 is to stay consistent and to try
to find another way to do it again," offered the
Als' quarterback recently.
Calvillo had the kind of season in 2002 that others
dream about. Over 5,000 passing yards, 27 TDs through
the air, while only tossing 10 interceptions. He was
a finalist for regular season MVP honours, Most Valuable
Player in the 2002 Grey Cup, and most importantly of
all - 2002 Grey Cup champion. As a team the Als also
had a dream season going 13-5 and running up a League-leading
577 points scored, an average of 32 points scored per
game. Montreal thumped the Toronto Argonauts in front
of a full house at the Olympic Stadium and were on the
way to their second Grey Cup appearance in three years.
Only this time they were not to be denied. The Als upset
the favoured home town Edmonton Eskimos in Commonwealth
Stadium of all places. Edmonton and Montreal staged
some classic Grey Cup battles over the years but this
one was the sweetest for followers of the Alouettes,
and Calvillo. "I was overwhelmed when we won the
Grey Cup. As pro athletes, winning a championship is
your ultimate goal. It took me nine years to win a championship
at the pro level and I do not plan on waiting nine more
years," he added.
After the Grey Cup win, things began to change in Montreal.
Among others, Thomas Haskins, Kevin Lefsrud, Mike Pringle,
Lawrence Phillips, Stefan Reid, and Pat Woodcock were
no long with the Als. Calvillo was almost one of the
defectors. In a somewhat protracted contract negotiation
the possibility arose time and again that he might flee
the city mere months after leading the Als to their
first Grey Cup win in a quarter century. But he re-upped
and came back committed to picking up where he left
off. Most teams that lose the kind of talent the Als
did would buckle under the pressure. This did not happen
in Montreal, especially under Calvillo's leadership.
In fact they came out of the gate in fine fashion to
kick off the 2003 season. They started at 2-0 winning
both games in a short-week western road trip to start
the current campaign. Calvillo relishes the challenges
ahead and looks forward to Year Two under Don Matthews,
and the continuation of an interesting development last
year - the right to call his own plays as field general.
Number 13 continued. "It's quite a challenge, although
the second year is much easier. I definitely see the
game differently and the key is to visualize the plays
ahead of time. Then, you have to call the right plays
at the right time."
And Calvillo's timing is what it is all about - that
and the ability to succeed in the face of adversity.
In some cases to even get better. In a battle of Division
leaders on July 25, Calvillo stepped to the fore throwing
for 365 yards and five touchdowns in a 50-19 thumping
of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Who knows? Maybe Calvillo's
progress will lead to another Grey Cup win for the Als.
And wouldn't that be ironic? After a 25-Year dry spell,
the Als would get to keep Earl Grey's Cup for two years
in a row - a first for the Alouettes and yet another
first for the man they call A.C.
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