Obviously, my list begins and ends with Kenny Ploen, Leo Lewis & Dick Thornton but from recent eras:
Charles Roberts, the little man was a fascinating CFL running back. Under 5'6" and not blessed with breakaway speed he made a name for himself on bad football teams and has Hall of Fame credentials
Doug Brown - the big boy was a CFL goliath, usually facing double or triple teams as his 6'8", 300 lb. torso wasn't just enormous, it was powerful. Downside on Doug is that he enjoyed tests of strength more than sacks on QBs so his CFL career pocked by some unexpectedly low numbers
Chris "Bluto" Walby - a 6'7", 345 to 365 lb. Man-Mountain. Seldom beat by d-linemen, he was just too powerful a force and could hurt you if you tried. Most guys went thru Las Vegas to get to Miami with this monster behemoth.
Pinball Clemons - like Charles Roberts, he wasn't a speedster - but his moves were incredible and he made more guys miss than anyone in my memory. Just enjoyed watching the little man with the massive smile play.
Adriano (Draino) Belli - one of the dirtiest campaigners in recent history. Almost as big as Doug Brown but even stronger - mean streak to boot. He enjoyed terrorizing smaller men. Troy Westwood once told me Belli would come up to him prior to games and explain what unspeakable deeds he was going to do to me, my family, my star model sister, etc. if we didn't give him time and space for his antics. Westwood looked terrified when engaged with the Argos and I'm positive Draino was in his head every time he played Toronto and for every minute he was on the same field as Belli.
Dan "Hoss" Goodspeed - one of the best o-linemen in recent CFL history. Really improved the bomber fortunes when he came on board. Borderline dirty to mostly standup solid. Had a nice career in Sask'n after the bombers dispatched him. Should have been a coach - had the great demeanour!
From other teams over the years:
BC Lions - Joe Kapp or Nub Beamer
Stamps - Lovell Coleman, Wayne Harris or Willy "Throbbing Gristle" Burden
Esks - Mad-Hatter Reilly, Moon, Larry Highbaugh
Riders - none (other than Wayne Shaw, the bookseller)
Ottawa - Russ Jackson, no question, Moe "La Toe" Racine
Hamilton - Frank Cosentino, Rupert the Roadrunner Crawford, Garney Henley
Montreal - Donnie Davis, Pringle, Cahoon
Toronto - Belli (as a super villain heel), Flutie, Thiessman, Jonas
Tom Wilkinson - non athletic guy who beats the odds
Russ Jackson - we need a everyday Canadian QB again badly it's a reflection of
the CFL that is the elephant in the room
Mike Pringle - simply a huge weapon
George Reed - same as above
Jackie Parker - too many weapons and well ahead of his time
Angelo Mosca - A defensive character who brought grit and a face to remember .
Danny McManus - Loved that quick release
Anthony Calvillo - The proof is in the pudding a record career . He made that team
not just good but great .
Larry Highbaugh - The highly talented DB with Joe Hollimon and Dan Kepley that made passing a very dangerous thing to do against the mighty Eskimo Dynasty .
Condredge Holloway - Yep, he was great. Remember "Wheels" on Degrassi Junior High wearing a CH jersey? I watch Tony Gabriel make his historic catch too. I guess I started following the CFL around 1973-74.
Hey Lyle, another great O-lineman that the Bummers pilfered from the Ticats back in the day was Larry Butler. I think he was an all-star every year that he played.
