Former mates laud Dickenson prior to Hall of Fame induction
From the West Coast and eastern climes alike, congratulations and warmest regards.
“Oh, yeah,” says Geroy Simon, out Vancouver way. “Of course. Dave, he’s probably — not probably, he is — the best quarterback I ever played with.
“The most cerebral quarterback I’ve ever been around. Any league. “He was that good.” Together, they played pitch and catch for most of five seasons out in B. C., wearing Lions orange and black, the bookish quarterback from Great Falls, Mont., and the elegant slotback out of Johnston, Pa.
On Wednesday, Dave Dickenson is to be enshrined in the CFL Hall of Fame. One day, soon, this land’s all- time leader in passes caught and yardage will join him.
Meanwhile, in Ottawa, a man who shared the Calgary end of Dickenson’s career, Redblacks’ receiving coach Travis Moore, is happy to join in the applause.
“Me and Dave, it seemed like we were always on the same page,” recalls Moore. "I think I had the most touchdowns in one season, 15, with Dave, and I didn’t even play the entire year. We just seemed to have that chemistry you need.
"The thing that was great about Dave? He threw an easy ball. A catchable ball. He always anticipated the throw. Always on time. Just that kind of guy. He’d talk you through things in practice. And he was a listener. He wasn’t arrogant. He helped you do the things you did best.
“With his size, people underestimated him. But he’s been a winner all his life.”
Dickenson, agrees Simon, was a dream collaborator.
“He just made it easy for you to play the receiver position. He took a lot of the thinking out of it for you. He didn’t hang you out to dry. You could catch the ball in good spots and do something with it.”
Despite his numbers and accomplishments, Dickenson never felt his Hall induction was a sure thing. His decorated career was compromised, then cut short by concussion issues.
“I’m glad,” he said when his name had been called, “that they chose quality over quantity.”
In Simon’s mind there was never a shred of doubt.
“No, not at all. He didn’t have a long career but he was very effective, very efficient, very good for the years he did play. You can almost compare him to, say, a Gayle Sayers ... not a ton of years but such a good, good player.
“He didn’t throw a lot of incompletions. Very, very accurate.
“He just knew how to lead a team. The accuracy, the efficiency, you can see it in the offence he coaches now. They don’t wow you with a lot of things but they’re very effective, and when they have an opportunity to strike, they do.”
During Dickenson’s B. C. career — highlighted by the 2006 Grey Cup championship — he and Simon had their share of memorable hookups.
“It’s funny, there are so many plays I think about in regards to Dave. A lot of times I’d be coming across the middle and I never had to break stride. I could actually accelerate to the ball. And I didn’t have to put my hands up. It’d be right there, in my chest.
“There is one play in the West final in ... 2006. I ran an out route, I was open and kinda cruising through the route and he hit me basically in the side of the head.
"The ball ended up sticking to my helmet. Between my hand and my helmet, actually, and we ended up getting a first down.”
Simon will fly into Regina — he’s currently a player- business developmental adviser with the Leos — to be present at the Hall of Fame banquet dinner, which Dickenson, the Calgary Stampeders’ offensive co- ordinator, will be able to attend.
“I just want to be there to support him,” he said. “He’s a friend of mine. He was a great teammate of mine.”