By Paul Patskou
‘Leon slipped and I fell’ – those were the words of the unusually somber Toronto Argonaut coach Leo Cahill after his prized running back Leon ‘X-Ray’ McQuay fumbled late in the 1971 Grey Cup game. With the ball at the Calgary 11, the Argos, trailing 14-11, were poised to go ahead with a touchdown or at least tie the game with a field goal. But on a sweep, the fleet footed McQuay tried to cut, slipped on the wet turf and with his right elbow hitting the ground, fumbled away the Argos chances for a long sought after Grey Cup victory.
The long-suffering Toronto Argonaut fans took this loss very hard. The Argos hadn’t even appeared in a Grey Cup game since 1952 and for many of those intervening years were doormats of the league, always finding some odd way to lose. Hopes were high for the 1971 edition of the team with the acquisition of U.S. College stars quarterback Joe Theismann, lineman Jim Stillwagon, the enigmatic McQuay and other talented players signed by the expert recruiter Cahill.
Leo Cahill became the Argo head coach for the 1967 season taking over a last place team that hadn’t made the playoffs since 1961. The brash Cahill thought nothing of trading for talented but perceived malcontents or troublemakers from other CFL teams. Colourful characters like Dick Thornton and Bobby Taylor had worn out their welcome with other CFL teams but were received with enthusiasm in Toronto. Long haired Californian Mel Profit was already an Argo but he fit into the ‘rebel’ image that Cahill was building for his team. With this bunch, the Argos made the playoffs every year, in 1971 finished first in the East, defeated the Hamilton Tiger Cats, and finally qualified again for the Grey Cup.
Unfortunately, the continuous rain on Grey Cup day made it difficult for both teams to sustain offensive drives as the slippery ball made the passing game difficult, although Mel Profit did combine with Theismann for a 55 yard passing play. But with the Stamps leading by 3 points with 3:10 left in the game, Calgary quarterback Jerry Keeling inexplicitly threw a long pass from his own end that was intercepted by the versatile Argo cornerback ‘Tricky’ Dick Thornton. If there was one defensive back Argo fans wanted to see on an interception return, it was Thornton, the fleet former U.S. College quarterback. As Thornton ran back towards Calgary territory, it was apparent that only Keeling remained between himself and Grey Cup glory.
Usually running past an opposing quarterback on an interception return would not be a challenge but Keeling, a star defensive back earlier in his CFL career, fended off Stillwagon’s block slowing Thornton’s progress until the tackle was made 11 yards short of the goaline.
Two plays later, Leon slipped and fumbled. The team that Cahill had recruited and molded was never the same, missing the playoffs the next season. The fans were soon chanting ‘Goodbye Leo’ and Cahill fell out as Argo coach. The Argonauts did win the Grey Cup 12 years later in 1983, again played in Vancouver. But this time inside a dry, climate controlled dome with little chance of any ill-fated slips and falls.