HALL OF FAME LINEBACKER WEST MAKES A CASE FOR JOEY WALTERS

The other day, I answered an unsolicited call of the Wild.

James (Wild) West, a 2016 inductee into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, was on the other end of the phone.

“Joey Walters,” he told me, “belongs in the Hall of Fame.” Agreed!

West's first CFL season — 1982 — was Walters's last. They were never teammates, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders' No. 17 nonetheless left a lasting impression on someone who debuted in Canadian professional football with the Calgary Stampeders.

“Joey Walters is one of the most underrated people in the history of the CFL,” West opined from Winnipeg, where he starred at linebacker for the Blue Bombers from 1985 to 1992.

“Man, that dude was so scary. He was so quick ... so fast. He had great hands and great leaping ability.”

Those attributes helped Walters amass 1,715 receiving yards — an enduring franchise single-season record — for the 1981 Roughriders. The following year, Walters made 102 catches (then a CFL record) for 1,692 yards. Some of that yardage was gained at the expense of West, who can now laugh at the recollection.

“Calgary … I don't know what they were doing,” he wondered. “They played me at rush end. I came up here as a linebacker, not as a rush end. I'd rush the passer here and there, but I'm a linebacker.”

And one of the best in CFL history.

“One time, we were in zero coverage, which means that everyone was one-on-one (with a receiver),” West continued. “I finally got a chance to cover somebody — and they had me covering Joey Walters!

“Joey Walters beat me from the get-go, right off the line. I'll never forget that.”

Nor should anyone forget Walters — including the esteemed members of the Hall of Fame's selection committee.

Longevity, or lack thereof, is presumably a strike against Walters. He was a CFLER for only six seasons. Keep in mind, though, that receivers Mervyn Fernandez and Terry Greer also spent six years in the league. Both of them are in the Hall.

Also consider the example of David Williams, a 2019 Hall inductee. He boasts career totals of 439 receptions and 7,197 yards, good for per-game averages of 4.35 and 71.3.

On a per-game basis, Walters is comfortably ahead of Williams in receptions (4.70) and yards (83.2).

The acrobatic ex-roughrider caught 296 passes for 5,240 yards despite toiling for non-playoff teams and collaborating with quarterbacks who were less than legendary following Ron Lancaster's retirement in 1978.

At 83.2 yards per game, Walters is marginally ahead of Greer (83.1) and Fernandez (80.6).

“I can tell you this about Joey Walters,” West said. “Game recognizes game.”

In that spirit, West is touting several other erstwhile Cflers for Hall of Fame induction — defensive backs Terry Irvin,

Ray Odums and Joe Hollimon, offensive lineman Hector Pothier, tailback/receiver Craig Ellis, receiver Gerald Alphin, and defensive linemen Mike Walker and Will Johnson.

“Will Johnson is not in,” West said of the ex-stampeder, a fivetime CFL all-star. “I thought he'd be automatic.”

Johnson, Irvin, Ellis and Odums all had stints with Saskatchewan and longer tenures elsewhere.

“Terry Irvin is fourth all-time in interceptions,” West said of someone who registered 62 picks — including a team-record 11 as a member of the 1984 Roughriders.

“Ray Odums and Terry Irvin were the best cornerbacks in the league for years.”

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Alberta-based teams boasted elite cornerback tandems. The Stampeders had Irvin and Odums.

Edmonton countered with Hollimon and Larry Highbaugh.

Highbaugh, a Hall of Famer, registered 66 interceptions — a total that ties him with Barron Miles for second on the career list. Less Browne leads the way with 87.

Hollimon and Highbaugh helped Edmonton win five consecutive Grey Cups (1978 to 1982). So did Pothier, a four-time all-star who celebrated six championships during 12 years with Edmonton.

Alphin, a 1,000-yard producer on four occasions, had career totals of 414 receptions, 7,315 yards and 51 TDS (including 18 majors with Winnipeg during a 994-yard season in 1994).

Walker played his finest football as a member of the Hamilton Tiger-cats, earning CFL all-star laurels in 1987, 1988 and 1989.

Ellis, for his part, stacks up favourably against Williams, registering more career catches (580 to 439) and receiving yards (7,757 to 7,197).

Using 1,000-yard receiving seasons as a barometer, Ellis has four (one more than Williams) and finished just 23 yards shy of a fifth. Williams, mind you, is ahead in TD catches (78-58).

Williams had seasons in which he caught 18, 15, 14, 12 and nine TD passes. Ellis had 17 scoring grabs for Edmonton during a 106-catch, 1,654-yard explosion in 1990. He added 10 TD catches in 1991 and 1992.

It was in Edmonton where

Ellis shifted to slotback, having previously been deployed as a running back. Factor in 2,095 career rushing yards and the case in favour of Ellis becomes even more compelling.

After a stint in Calgary, Ellis was the Roughriders' primary ball-carrier in 1983 and 1984. Combining rushes and receptions, he registered season totals of 12 and 17 TDS for the team.

So there you have it — Wild West's list of people who merit consideration for the Hall.

Legends of the great Canadian game have also been discussed on his star-studded Wyld West Podcast on Youtube.

Oh, and let's not forget this seasoned scribbler's nominees ...

Kent Austin: After throwing for 474 yards and three TDS to pilot the Roughriders to a 43-40 victory over Hamilton in the 1989 Grey Cup game, Austin piled up 20,720 passing yards and 125 scores over the next four seasons. He threw for 6,225 yards in 1992. Only Doug Flutie, who put up 6,619 yards for the 1991 B.C. Lions, has produced a higher total.

Jeff Fairholm: A game-breaking Roughriders slotback from 1988 to 1993, Fairholm was never, ever caught from behind.

Wayne Shaw: This homegrown linebacker was an all-star in six of his 12 CFL seasons, the last of which was 1972.

Roy Shivers: In 1995, when Shivers joined the expansion Birmingham Barracudas, he became the first Black general manager in professional football history. He subsequently spent 6 1/2 seasons as the Roughriders' GM, a capacity in which he hired Danny Barrett. Shivers and Barrett were pro football's first Black Gm/head coach tandem. Moreover, Shivers is one of the premier player-personnel people in CFL history.

When Shivers' candidacy was presented to West, his response was succinct and emphatic: “Absolutely yes!!!”

(Joey Walters) was so quick ... so fast. He had great hands and great leaping ability.