Building a Hall of Fame case

WINNIPEG — Off what they watched in the 1960s when Frank Cosentino was just one in a line of failed Edmonton Eskimos quarterbacks, some may wonder how he ended up being introduced here Wednesday as a new member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

It was a long list. But Cosentino made it in as the only builder selected in the Class of 2018.

“(Hall of Fame executive director) Mark DeNobile phoned me in Florida. He got a bit of a giggle when I told him I just got in the door from the shuffleboard court,” laughed Cosentino. “It’s great to be among people who have made such a contribution to the game.”

Cosentino had some credentials as a player. He led the Western Ontario Mustangs to Yates Cups in 1957 and 1959 and won the national championship in his final game of college football. Taken by the hometown Hamilton Tiger-Cats with the first draft pick in 1960, he was part of the team that made it to five straight Grey Cup games and won two before he later ended up with the Eskimos and Toronto Argos.

While playing, he earned a physical education degree from McMaster and masters and doctorate degrees from the U of Alberta.

After retiring, Cosentino became head coach at Western, winning the Vanier Cup in 1971 and ’74 before taking a winless York University team to a string of .500 seasons.

Cosentino authored 17 books on the history of sports in Canada including three on the Grey Cup and football.

He’s in the Western, York and OUA Halls of Fame.