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| A football card of James Sykes. It was part of a series put out by the Red Rooster convenience store chain, and I actually completed the entire series. |
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| James Sykes, circa 1978. I used to love that hair. |
Replacing a legend
There’s a funny thing about when you start something new. When I
started watching Canadian football in 1978, the Stampeders were coached by Jack
Gotta; Ken Johnson was the quarterback, filling in for the injured John
Hufnagel; and James Sykes carried the ball.
They also had a runningback, Richard Crump, who had come over in a
trade with Winnipeg, and some guy named Willie Burden, who had been injured and
was coming back. At one point, Gotta and company experimented with a three-back
set to utilize the strengths of all three. That experiment would soon end.
Only later did I discover that Willie Burden had not only been the
feature back for the Stampeders, but actually held the single-season record for
rushing yards. In fact, in the description of Sykes for the “Wall of Fame”,
they said Sykes was the first back after the legendry Willie Burden. When I saw Burden, he was winding down his career.
Establishing his own legend
The Stampeders I watched relied on the run. Sykes, who played in
Calgary from 1978 to 1983, ended up leading the team in rushing several times,
and the league in rushing in 1980 and 1981. He was also a CFL all-star in 1978,
as a rookie, and in 1980, and a Western all-star in 1982. He was also really
good at catching the ball out of the backfield. By the time his tenure with the
Stamps ended, he had racked up more than 10,000 total yards, combining rushing,
receiving, punt and kick returns.
His best seasons were 1980 when he rushed for 1,263 yards; 1981 when
he rushed for 1,107 yards; 1982 where he rushed for 1,046 yards; and 1978 where
he rushed for 1,020 yards. Keep in mind the CFL had a 16-game schedule back
then unlike the 18 games they play now, and only once did he play all 16 games.
Three times he played 15 games, and in 1979 he rushed for 703 yards, but only
played 12 games, sitting out with an injury. Likely he
played hurt too, so had he been healthy the entire season he may have hit 1,000
yards again and led the league in rushing.
What I always remember about James Sykes, beyond that huge head of
hair that seemed to take on the shape and texture of his helmet, was the way he
moved. He seemed to glide, almost walking on water. He had amazing vision,
seeing a hole where none existed, then accelerating through it for a good gain.
He had great breakaway speed too, so if he got into the open field, he was
gone.
Aftermath
One day I turned around and he was gone. The Stampeders released him
in 1983, and ultimately he landed in Winnipeg where he played one game, spent
1984 and 1985 on the practice roster, then returned in 1986 where he rushed for
447 yards in seven games. There was nothing more nauseating and galling than
seeing James Sykes playing for the Blue Bombers. He was older and slower, and
past his prime, so I took comfort in the fact he wasn’t the same James Sykes I
had known and loved.
Parting thoughts
It was good to hear James Sykes had been inducted into the 2014
Stampeders’ “Wall of Fame”. His name brought back memories of a time when no
matter what the Stampeders did, the Edmonton Eskimos did it better. However, it
is a testament to the talent and ability of James Sykes that he put up those
stats against some strong defences, including one of the best ever in the
Eskimos. He was a treat to watch, and I’m glad maybe a few more people will now remember
how great he was.
(This clip shows James Sykes rushing, and contains a graphic of his season totals)
(This clip starts with a close-up of James Sykes and ends with a pass attempt to him)
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