TRIBUTE AND FINANCIAL WORLD EXCITE ALL-TIME STAMPEDER
Cornish admits he might shed tears during McMahon Stadium ceremony
Even now, it happens regularly.
Despite wearing glasses and business attire, despite the places-to-go and people-to-see pace on Plus-15 walkways, he can bank on being noticed. (And should he ever become stationary — if he “posts up,” as he puts it — hits go through the roof.) But, generally, he can count on a minimum.
“Twice a day, at least, somebody I don’t know is going to say my name,” he says. “Like, ‘Oh, there’s Jon Cornish.’ ”
That average is about to undergo one heck of a boost.
From a couple of daily utterances to this afternoon: 30,000 shout-outs.
You see, the Calgary Stampeders — with the Ottawa Redblacks in town — are honouring Cornish, whose nine-year romp through the Canadian Football League produced three rushing titles and three nods as top Canadian, two Grey Cups and one most-outstanding-player award. The star running back, not eager to suffer through another concussion, walked away in December, weeks after turning 31.
“When I retired, my close buddies on the team showed up, different guys were there, quite a bit of press, so it was cool,” says Cornish. “But I think this is the real retirement. I’m pretty excited.”
Don’t be surprised to see him squirt a few tears during the tribute.
“Let’s just say I’m not out of touch with my emotional side,” he says, laughing. “I respond to outpourings of emotions. So we’ll see.”
What is known — the man is tip top. Now.
Perfect, actually. No creaking, no hobbling.
“I feel like a young guy still,” says Cornish, trimmer than ever, 10 pounds under his playing weight.
“My mom has made comments, ‘Jon, you used to be so strong. Now you’re just small.’ I didn’t work out for a long time. I finally didn’t have a reason to work out. But then, after returning to working out, my body felt even better.
“Honestly now? I feel the best I’ve felt in forever. No muscle soreness. No joint pain. I think I got out at exactly the right time.”
Perhaps this physical wellbeing cracks open, even slightly, the door to a comeback?
“No, no,” he says with a laugh. “No.”
Besides, he’s too busy for football — or any other sport (although, Mondays, he squeezes in improv sessions with Dirty Laundry’s troupe at the Lunchbox Theatre.)
Cornish is now living, he insists, his dream job. Really.
To meet the man is to glimpse his eccentricities. (At the University of Kansas, he was equally at ease with frat boys (“Abercrombie & Fitch crew”) and overachieving keeners at Scholarship Hall, with whom he built a homecoming float and spearheaded a push for on-campus Wi-Fi.
So when Cornish begins to unspool a pivotal childhood moment, no one expects to hear about some record-shattering afternoon in atom or a Rose Bowl highlight he saw on T.V. He doesn’t disappoint. Even manages to incorporate a little product placement.
“When I was six years old, my mom and I were walking through the mall,” says Cornish. “We walked past Canada Trust and I saw an adviser shaking hands with a person, and they both seemed really happy. This memory is so deeply ingrained in me — helping people achieve their goals — it’s something that’s always driven me. And it’s driven me on the football field, too. That service … I wanted to be the highest-level adviser I could be.”
In that case, he’s properly pointed.
A private investment counsel associate at TD, he’s completed Levels 1 and 2 of the chartered financial analyst exams. One to go.
“After that, I get called: Jonathan M. Cornish, CFA.” (Michael, by the way.)
This isn’t to say he’s forgotten the gridiron — or its wonderful buzz.
Baby-stepping into the finance world, he’d ask insiders: “Are there touchdown-like experiences?” Because that feeling is familiar — 44 times in the CFL’s regular season, another two in playoffs — and fulfilling.
“This was something I knew I would need post-football — the exhilaration of scoring in whatever metaphorical way there is, right?” says Cornish. “On the field it’s how many yards am I going for? So it was easy for me to set numerical goals. One thing I’ve become cognizant of recently is having a numbers-driven metric.”
Weekends for No. 9, however, are not about keeping score. At least, personally. As the Stamps’ game-day ambassador — a position, he gleefully points out, that comes with locker-room privileges — Cornish races around McMahon Stadium, literally waving the team flag.
Chuckling, he boasts that his “sideline game is at a very high level” after sitting out so many times because of injury.
“It’s a skill I’ve learned — being a good fan, a loud supporter,” says Cornish, who digs the role. “Honestly, that’s the closest I’ve ever felt to the game, even in my playing days. It’s crazy to feel the energy down there — being cognizant of the energy rather than being focused on the football.”