As a new year approaches, it makes people reflect on the good and the bad of 2015. Since many of us are already suffering from CFL withdrawal, here are my top five for the 2015 Calgary Stampeders.
Even though the 2015 campaign didn’t end as a Stampeder fan would have wished, the season had some great football moments. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the Calgary Stampeders went 14-4 this past season – the only CFL team to record at least 14 wins in three consecutive seasons – and increased its playoff streak to 11 consecutive seasons. These are wonderful stats for a Stamps fan, but I want to focus on specific moments, plays, or players. So here they are.
Number Five: Rene Parades and his amazing field-goal kicking leg
In 2013, Parades was heading up against B.C.’s Paul McCallum for most successful consecutive field goals, but 2015 was more of a standout year for Parades in a couple of different ways. Parades led the West Division with 152 points and 41 field goals. His completion ratio was over 87% and 13 out of 16 field goals were from 40 yards out or more. He is also responsible for three game-winning field goals this past year. With these accomplishments, it’s beyond me how he didn’t win CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.
Number Four: Jerome Messam’s first win as a Stampeder against the Roughriders
As the trade deadline approached late in the season, and with Calgary’s star running back Jon Cornish injured, Calgary acquired Jerome Messam from rival Saskatchewan Roughriders. He was arguably Saskatchewan’s only real star player in an otherwise dismal 2015 season. The first game Messam played turned out to be against his former team and he blew through Saskatchewan’s defence, rushing for over 120 yards. This probably wouldn’t make many Roughrider fan’s top five 2015 list though.
Number Three: Eric Rogers’ Hail Mary catch
Receiver Eric Rogers was a breakout star in the playoffs for Calgary in 2014, but he showed his incredible talent in 2015. Rogers clocked 1,448 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. The best Rogers moment of the year came when Calgary was in hostile territory, the Roughriders’ Mosaic Stadium. It was seconds before the half and instead of playing it safe and taking a knee, Mitchell hauled a long pass to Eric Rogers. He was surrounded by at least four Riders and he outjumped them all to reel in the 46-yard throw, which incidentally was his longest catch up to that point.
Number Two: Number Nine, Jon Cornish
It probably seems odd that Jon Cornish would make a top five list for 2015. Concussions and concussion protocol kept Cornish out of the game for most of 2015. While Cornish didn’t break any records in 2015, he still makes my top five because of his presence on and off the field and the way he handled his retirement from the football field at the end of the season. Not only is Cornish heavily involved in the Calgary community and an advocate for LGBTQ rights, Jon was incredible to watch as he stormed through defensive players on the field. His explosiveness is what earned him his two record-breaking years in 2013 and 2014. Many would disagree with this selection because of a couple unfortunate incidents earlier in his career, involving his pants in Saskatchewan, but Jon Cornish is a stand-up guy and an unmatched talent on the field. In his retirement press conference, he said, “Nine years for number nine…it seems fitting.” It will be surreal not seeing him in 2016.
Number One: Coach John Hufnagel
How can you not mention Coach Hufnagel when talking about the 2015 Calgary Stampeder season. We all knew it would be his last season, despite last-ditch efforts from Saskatchewan to pick him up as head coach for the Roughriders in 2016. He named his successor, Dave Dickenson, last year. As the Calgary Stampeder official website states, “The Stamps won 102 regular-season games and two Grey Cup titles with Coach Huff on the sidelines. Calgary had eight consecutive winning seasons during Hufnagel’s reign and never once had a three-game losing streak.” Regardless of his many accolades, my favourite 2015 moment is a personal one – when I had the extreme pleasure of a one-on-one interview with him during training camp. After several times correcting him on my name when first introduced, at the end of the interview he still said, “it was nice meeting you Sheila”. It’s Gina, but that’s okay, Coach Huff!
Although the 2016 Calgary Stampeder sideline will definitely look different, we can all look back at our 2015 favourite Stampeder moments. Post yours in the comments!
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