Fear of failure fuelled Cahoon’s Hall of Fame run with Alouettes
You looked at the package and it never should have worked. Ben Cahoon wasn’t particularly fast. And, at 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, he wasn’t particularly big. And yet he flourished for 13 seasons with the Alouettes — largely due to his fear of failure.
“I remember being absolutely intimidated and nervous about making the team. I felt that way probably 10 out of the 12 or 13 years I played,” Cahoon told the Montreal Gazette in an exclusive telephone interview on Thursday.
“After a while, you start making a little bit more money and you get older. It’s a young man’s game and your salary, all of a sudden, becomes a little bit of a liability,” he added. “You’re trying to prove you can compete with these young bucks.”
Cahoon has returned to the city — one more time — to see his number retired during a halftime ceremony Friday night, when the Als entertain the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Molson Stadium (TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5, RDS, TSN 690 Radio). He becomes the 11th Montreal player so honoured, and the first since quarterback Anthony Calvillo, the two inexorably linked and symbolic of the franchise’s greatest success through the first decade of this century.
Cahoon was last here in September 2014, when he entered the Canadian Football Hall of Fame after a spectacular career that saw him catch 1,017 passes for 13,301 yards while scoring 65 touchdowns. A three-time Grey Cup champion and a league all-star on three occasions, he was named the league’s outstanding Canadian in 2002 and again the following season.
He holds regular-season records for career receptions, receptions by a Canadian receiver in one season and the team record for touchdowns. Cahoon, selected in the first round (sixth overall) of the 1998 Canadian college draft, was named the Cup’s outstanding Canadian twice — once, in 2003, when the Als lost.
“He was a great player, a true professional. This is a tough player who deserves all the accolades,” said Als general manager and head coach Jim Popp. “His highlight reel can compete against anybody that ever played pro football at that position. He learned well at a young age. He always took the attitude where he had to prove himself. He was a great leader and also was unbelievably tough. He battled a (recurring) knee problem, and took a lot of (injections) to be able to play. He was always extremely dependable.”
Popp was able to see past Cahoon’s physical shortcomings, and probably realized the player wouldn’t make it past the opening round. Although born in Utah, Cahoon qualified as a non-import because he spent part of his childhood in Alberta and in Beaconsfield.
“It wasn’t the size factor. When you watched him, how he ran routes and caught the football. Ben Cahoon does everything the proper way,” Popp said. “The way he twists his body, uses his hands and gets them on top of the ball everywhere he can. He turns his body to get his hands on top of the ball.”
Cahoon approached the game with an unparalleled work ethic. He repeatedly practised catching balls and was in the film room early, studying his routes and the defenders who were to cover him. He was serious about his profession. And it didn’t hurt to have the stars aligned throughout his career.
Cahoon and Calvillo both arrived in Montreal in 1998. Neither player started immediately, so they were able to practise together on the scout team, against the Als’ starting defence, while developing a symbiotic relationship. And, although Cahoon competed as a wide receiver at his first camp, it was former head coach Don Matthews who decided to move him inside to slotback in 2002, despite the suggestion from Calvillo — then in his third season as the starting pivot — he was too small.
“It was that combination of trust, friendship and having confidence in one another,” Calvillo said. “I did a very good job of reading body language, knowing when guys were going to break in and out (of patterns). When you’re with the same guy, you kind of anticipate. We did have a special chemistry that helped us have a lot of success.”
Sure hands, reliable route running, consistency and dependability were the hallmarks of Cahoon’s career. He was a clutch receiver and, more often than not, Calvillo’s go-to guy when a drive had to be prolonged. It was Cahoon’s touchdown that pulled the Als to within two points against Saskatchewan in the 2009 Grey Cup, setting the stage for Damon Duval’s dramatic winning field goal — after the Roughriders drew a too-many-men penalty. His one-handed, diving reception in the ‘03 Cup remains a highlight, as does his catch against a Saskatchewan player’s helmet during a regular-season contest.
Cahoon said he never envisioned a 13-season Hall of Fame career. He approached his career one year at a time. And, while he’ll never be comfortable being the centre of attention or having praise lavished upon himself, Cahoon must understand it comes with the territory.
“It doesn’t bother me when people say I was a great receiver,” he said, laughing. “I’m comfortable with it, I suppose. I believe I had a great career — but there were more factors than my own ability.”