Neil Lumsden: From gridiron to legislature

Neil Lumsden was a bruising fullback with the Edmonton Eskimos in the '80s.

Source: https://teamlumsden.ca/neils-story/

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Before he entered the bruising world of Ontario politics, Neil Lumsden was a bruising fullback in the Canadian Football League.

The current minister of sport initially came to public attention running the football for the Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger Cats and Edmonton Eskimos.

His name came across my newsfeed today, reminding of that fullback you could count on to get the tough yards.

College days
Neil Lumsden played his college football with the University of Ottawa from 1972 to 1975. He was Ontario University Athletics most valuable player in 1972, 1973 and 1975; All-Canadian in 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975; and set national records for points scored, rushing yards, and touchdowns.

In 1975, he helped the Gee Gees to an undefeated 11-0 season, scoring 14 touchdowns, including five in one game against Queen’s University, and a total of 148 points. The Gee Gees went on to a victory in the Yates Cup then beat the University of Calgary Dinosaurs by a score of 14-9 in the 11th Vanier Cup. In the College Bowl, he was named most valuable player, after carrying the ball 27 times for 169 yards and kicked two converts, although ironically he did not score a touchdown.

Turning pro
Lumsden was drafted by the Toronto Argonauts as a territorial exemption in the 1976 CFL Draft.

In 1976, he rushed the ball 85 times for 412 yards, an average of 4.8 yards, and three touchdowns with a long run of 36 yards. Lumsden also had eight receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown. The Argonauts finished with a record of seven wins, eight losses and a tie, and missed the playoffs. For his efforts, he was named the 1976 Eastern Conference Most Outstanding Rookie.

He would go on to have a stellar career in the CFL.

Eastern time
In 1977, his second season with the Argonauts, Lumsden had 145 carries for 677 yards, an average of 4.7 yards, and three touchdowns. He also caught 20 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. The Argos made the playoffs, finishing third with a record of six wins and 10 losses, but lost to Ottawa in the East Semi-Final.

Lumsden started 1978 with Toronto where he had 12 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown, as well as three receptions for seven yards. He was traded to Hamilton where he recorded 47 rushes for 268 yards and 15 receptions for 158 yards. The Tiger-Cats finished third in the East Division with a record of five wins, 10 losses and one tie, good enough for third and a trip to the Eastern Semi-Final, which they lost 35-20 to Montreal.

The 1979 season was Lumsden’s only full year with the Tiger-Cats and where I first saw him play. I recall him being a bruising fullback, who would rather run through tacklers rather than around them. He rushed for 438 yards and five touchdowns on 99 carries, and caught 21 passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns.

That year, I rooted for the Tiger-Cats because they had been bad. Then traded for quarterback Tom Clements, who turned the team around and took them to the playoffs, and ended up leading the league in passing. The Tiger-Cats ended up third in the East with a record of six wins and 10 losses, advancing to the East Semi-Final, which they lost 29-26 to Ottawa. I recall Lumsden being a major contributor to that team too.

As a new decade dawned, Lumsden would move west where he would finish his years, and experience the most success of his career.

Go west young man
By 1980, I was not an Edmonton Eskimo fan. They seemed to be a juggernaut that was unbeatable, winning the past two Grey Cups and going on to win the next three.

One day, I heard the rich just get richer. Before the 1980 season, Edmonton traded quarterback Bruce Lemmerman to the Tiger-Cats for Lumsden. It seemed kind of weird, because Lemmerman had not played the previous season. In fact, I had only heard about him from my friend and neighbour Mike. He explained a lot about football to me on the school bus when I first started watching.

Lemmerman wouldn’t even finish the season, while Lumsden thrived in Edmonton.

Lumsden rushed for 566 yards and four touchdowns on 114 carries, and caught 17 passes for 252 yards and another touchdown The Eskimos finished first in the West with a record of 13 wins and three losses, defeated Winnipeg in the West Final and advanced to the Grey Cup to play – the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The game was one of the most lop-sided in history as Edmonton dominated from start to finish, winning by a score of 48-10. Lumsden rushed eight times for 85 yards in the game.

The Eskimos were the dominant team in the West again in 1981, finishing with a record of 14-1-1, defeating the B.C. Lions in the West Final then coming back from a 21-1 halftime deficit to beat Ottawa by a score of 26-23 for their fourth straight Grey Cup. Lumsden only had one carry in the Grey Cup for two yards, but had eight receptions for 91 yards. For his hard work, he was named the Most Valuable Canadian of the Grey Cup.

During the regular season, Lumsden carried the ball 58 times for 266 yards and three touchdowns, and caught 21 passes for 185 yards and four more touchdowns.

Edmonton would win their fifth straight Grey Cup in 1982. They finished first in the West again, with a record of 11-5, defeat Winnipeg in the West Final and Toronto in the Grey Cup. Lumsden rushed for 39 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, and had two receptions for 29 yards to help the Eskimos win their fifth straight championship.

During the regular season, Lumsden had 223 yards on 56 carries, and 285 yards and four touchdowns on 20 receptions.

The end of the line
All good things must come to an end, and so they did for the Edmonton Eskimos in 1983. They finished third in the West, with a record of 8-8, and lost the West Semi-Final to Winnipeg. Lumsden rushed for 254 yards and five touchdowns on 64 carries during the regular season, and caught 23 passes for 249 yards.

In 1984, Edmonton again finished third in the West with a record of 9-7, and lost in the West Semi-Final to Winnipeg. Lumsden rushed for 402 yards and eight touchdowns on 92 carries, and had 25 receptions for 155 yards.

His last season would be 1985, where he had 201 yards and four touchdowns on 45 carries, and seven receptions for 54 yards and another touchdown.

The Eskimos again finished third in the West with a record of 10-6, losing to Winnipeg in the West Semi-Final.

Neil Lumsden retired at the end of the season.

He finished his CFL career playing 10 seasons and 141 regular season games. He rushed the ball 817 times for 3,755 yards and 36 touchdowns, and had 180 receptions for 1,729 yards and 15 touchdowns.

In 1987, he joined the Canadian Football Network as a colour commentator, staying until 1990 when it went off the air. I remember him being an excellent analyst, and also shamelessly promoting the Ottawa Gee Gees when the opportunity presented itself.

The years after
Lumsden moved into an executive role with the Tiger-Cats then into private business.

He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

In June of 2022, Lumsen was elected as a member of the provincial parliament for the riding of Hamilton East-Stoney Creek in the provincial election, and named minister of tourism, culture and sport.

His son Jesse Lumsden was also a bruising ball carrier who had a try out with the Seattle Seahawks then played in the CFL with Hmilton, Edmonton, and Calgary. He is currently on the Canadian Olympic Bobsled Team.

Parting thoughts
I have vivid memories of watching Neil Lumsden play in 1979, that first year I watched Canadian football. He was part of that renaissance that took the Tiger-Cats from an also-ran to a contender. That season, they won four of their last five games to make the playoffs.

Interestingly, I used to write down in a notebook the names and teams of players. Sometimes, I misheard what they were. Back then, graphics on screen were not as prevalent as they are now. I distinctly remember thinking his name was actually “Leo Lumsden”.

I soon learned differently.

The other thing I remember about Lumsden was just how determined a runner he was. It was never just one tackler who brought him down, but many.

He brought that same determination to life after football. When he was in the front office of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, he helped bring them back from the verge of extinction in the ‘90s to a Grey Cup championship in 1999, their last Grey Cup win. Under his leadership, the number of season tickets sold increased and interest in the team was rejuvenated.

Now, in politics he is likely to show that same determination.

It has been quite a journey for Neil Lumsden from the football field to Queen’s Park.