When I first heard the news that Tricky was diagnosed with lung cancer, I felt bad and started reading some great articles and thought how on earth is he not in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame ? Even more mysteriously, how is he not even an All Time Argo?
It’s hard to say that Tricky turned around the Argos from a bunch of losers to actual contenders all alone but if you see the contribution he made over 6 seasons, you may be able to make the case. “Mr Everything” was brought in from Winnipeg by Coach Leo Cahill mostly to play on defence as a defensive back but he also threw some passes, punted, ran and caught the ball. A “real” football player who could do it all on both sides of the ball, something that just no longer exists.
Often described as a “free-spirit”, Thornton was quite the character off the field. He had his own fan club in Winnipeg and provided the media with great sound bites like this: “The best thing about Winnipeg is the road leading out of town.” Tricky even published a book about being a pro football player in the 60’s but was eventually scrapped with the Argos intervening. As a result, the controversial player’s job was on the line and was expected to miss out on a roster spot during the 1971 training camp. Not only did Tricky make the roster, he was named the starter in a new position – receiver. After injuries on the defence, Tricky moved back to defensive back and intercepted 7 times in 7 games. The Argos finished first place and were headed to the Grey Cup.
If the Argos could only pull it off, Tricky Dick Thornton would have been named the Grey Cup MOP. With the Argos down 14-11 in the 4th quarter with 3 minutes remaining, Thornton intercepts the pass on the Toronto 42 yard line and brings it all away to Calgary’s 11.A touchdown would of surely sealed the win but of course 2 plays later, Leon McQuay slips and fumbles.
After Leo Cahill was fired, a lot of veterans were let go and Tricky Thornton become the Argos writer for the Toronto Sun before coming back as a player in the new WFL. He would eventually work for large corporations like Kroger Foods and Coca Cola and now operates his own consulting firm. Tricky now lives in Makati City, the Philippines with his wife and daughter and is working on his autobiography, which I hope will get released soon. There is never enough CFL books in the market.
At the end of the day, Tricky Thornton deserves to be at least honoured by the Argos. I think he is a CFL HOFer myslef but we should at least start with the Argos before taking him to Hamilton. He was inducted into the Winnipeg Blue Bomber Hall of Fame in 1988 for heaven’s sake! What are the Argos waiting for? What I fear is what happened to Pat Burns on his road to the Hockey HOF, with him passing before he got the chance even though he was on the ballot to be inducted well before his passing.
I don’t think it’s necessary since it’s a no brainer but I have started a petition for the Argos to honour Mr.Thornton as an All Time Great during halftime for the 2014 season. Please sign and share! I will greatly appreciate it.
You can sign the petition here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/919/841/386/honour-tricky-dick-thronton-as-an-all-time-argo/
For all the Argo junkies out there I encourage you to read the following articles and to check out Tricky’s own site – http://www.coachthornton.com/
Double Blue Blog 