Glenn’s numbers warrant Hall of Fame spot
Kevin Glenn fielded a Ballsy question with aplomb.
“If you never played another down, Kevin Glenn, are you a Hall of Famer?” Michael Ball, of CKRM and The Wolf fame, asked the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ starting quarterback on Tuesday.
“Of course. No doubt,” declared Glenn, having fun with the exchange. “Is an elephant heavy? Next question.”
Not. So. Fast.
The question became a popular one as the 38-year-old Glenn approached and exceeded 50,000 career aerial yards.
He is only the seventh CFL quarterback to reach that milestone. Anthony Calvillo leads the legend-laden list with 79,816 yards, followed by Damon Allen (72,381), Henry Burris (63,369), Ricky Ray (56,779), Danny McManus (53,255), Ron Lancaster (50,535) and Glenn (50,087).
Inclusion in that select septet should be enough to make Glenn a mortal lock for enshrinement in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame — if he ever retires, that is.
People who argue against Glenn’s candidacy point out that the 17th-year CFLer has never played for a league champion.
So what? Had the Hall’s selection committee insisted that a Grey Cup title be part of someone’s resume, Milt Stegall would not be in the Hall. Neither would Bill Baker or Dirty 30 himself, Jim Young.
Glenn’s numbers, along with the company he keeps, should make him an automatic Hall of Famer. How do you ignore 50,000 yards? Or the fact that Glenn is a game or two away from leapfrogging the iconic Little General on the all-time list?
“When your name starts to come up in those conversations, it’s great,” Glenn responded when Lancaster’s name was raised. “It’s awesome. For it to possibly be able to happen in this uniform, and for it to be that guy, it’s a special accomplishment.”
Consider, too, that Glenn is 3,168 yards away from tying McManus for No. 5.
In a pass-oriented league, one that has been a haven for so many amazing quarterbacks, Glenn should finish his career among the top handful in terms of passing yardage.
Accordingly, the time has come to stop dissecting Glenn and to start fully appreciating him.
If 50,000-plus yards combined with exemplary character do not qualify someone for induction, what does?
Next question.