Argos coach was a great talent recruiter

TORONTO • There was no one on the Toronto sports landscape quite like Leo Cahill, not before him, not after him. Not ever.

The man who breathed life into professional football passed away at the age of 89 in Atlanta, where he resided for several years.

The former coach and general manager of the Argonauts died in hospital, after being ill with numerous ailments the past several years.

In his day, Cahill was a lightning rod of fun, football, frivolity and controversy as one of the most remarkable and engaging sporting figures in this city in the past half century.

Long before there was Major League Baseball or the National Basketball Association in Toronto, there was Leo, better known by his first name than his last, battling the late Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard for front page headlines and attention in the local newspapers.

In those days, the Argos were almost on equal footing with the Leafs.

Cahill’s 1971 Argonauts are one of the best remembered and most beloved teams in CFL history, even though they never won a championship. He brought in rookies such as quarterback Joe Theismann, running back Leon McQuay and Outland Trophy winner Jim Stillwagon. They were added to a lineup of football rogues and personalities that included Dick Thornton, Marv Luster, Dave Raimey, Bill Symons and receiver Mel Profit — and they came within seconds of a Grey Cup victory were it not for the famous McQuay fumble.

Cahill earned the nickname Leo The Lip for his often colourful demeanour. But for all his bravado, Cahill was one of the best recruiters in CFL history.

Cahill leaves behind five children — Steve, Christy, Lisa, Bettye and Terry — and a plethora of sporting memories. Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.

THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Leo Cahill talks to reporters after he was fired as Argos head coach in 1972 while owner John Bassett looks on.