Mike Moller: From the Sportsplex to Hockey Night in Canada

Mike Moller starred in junior with the Lethbridge
Broncos of the Western Hockey League,
on Canada's World Junior team, and
then played in the NHL with Buffalo and Edmonton.
Source: https://www.hockeydb.com
/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=3768
(May be subject to copyright)

One minute I was watching him score at the Lethbridge Sportsplex, the next he was scoring on Hockey Night In Canada.

Recently, I went to an author talk in Stavely and the speaker told a story about his good friend and former professional hockey player, Mike Moller.

These are my stories of Mike Moller.

Bronco to Sabre
Mike Moller was having a solid career with the Lethbridge Broncos. He broke into the Western Hockey League in the 1979-1980 season, scoring 30 goals and 41 assists for 71 points in 72 games. That was just a sign of things to come.

In the 1980-1981 season, Moller had a breakout season, appearing in 70 games where he scored 39 goals and 68 assists for 108 points.

That year he also got called up by the Buffalo Sabres, who had drafted him 41st overall in the second round in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft.

He would play in five games that season, recording two goals and two assists for four points.

One of those was a very special goal – to me anyway.

Goal!
It is one of my fondest memory of going to see the Broncos at the Sportsplex. We went to a mid-week game. All of a sudden Moller comes down the right wing and lets go a shot that looked like it went through the goalie. The crowd went wild at the goal.

He got called up to the Sabres shortly after and they were in Edmonton for Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday night. Jim Robson was calling the game. Suddenly Moller streaks down the right side.

I can hear Robson calling the play.

“The puck goes to Moller,” he says.

He lets go a shot and – you guessed it – it looks like it goes through the goalie.

In school that Monday, my classmate and friend Tim Nestorowicz, was talking about the game. He said that shot he scored on in Edmonton was a shot he patented in Lethbridge, It got just far enough off the ice to bo over the goalie’s stick and between his pads. It was pinpoint accuracy.

World Junior champions
In the 1981-1982 season, Moller appeared in 49 games for the Broncos, recording an incredible 41 goals and 81 assists for 122 points.

That play caught the attention of Hockey Canada, who had embarked on a new approach to the World Junior Hockey Championships. Canada had never won gold up to that point, and never really seemed to care that much. The Canadian entry was the Memorial Cup champion, which was an issue because the team that won the Memorial Cup in the Spring looked very different come December.

That all changed in 1981-1982 when Hockey Canada decided to assemble an actual select team made up of the best junior and university Canadian players. Mike Moller and his brother Randy, who patrolled the blue line for the Broncos, were selected to that team.

That team would trigger a chain reaction that led to the dominating performance of Team Canada over the next 40 years and made the tournament as popular as it is.

Back then, it was a round robin format with the team with the best record taking gold. By far the most memorable game was Canad’s route of the Soviets, but they still needed a win or a tie against Czechoslovakia to take the gold.

Just recently, I discovered Mike Moller scored the tying goal against the Czechs making that the gold-medal winning goal. His jersey actually hangs in the International Hockey Hall of Fame because of that.

He appeared in seven games at the World Juniors, scoring five goals and assisting on nine others for 14 points.

The pros
Moller would appear in nine games in the 1981-1982 season for the Sabres, but not register a point or a penalty.

He played in 49 games for Buffalo in the 1982-1983 season, recording six goals and 12 assists for 18 points, and played in 10 games for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League, recording one goal and six assists for seven points. Moller played in 59 games in 1983-1984, recording five goals and 11 assists for 16 points.

By the 1984-1985 season, his time in Buffalo was limited. He played in five games recording two assists. He also played 73 games for Rochester, scoring 19 goals and setting up 46 for 65 points.

In 1985-1986, he moved on to the Edmonton Oilers organization, appearing in one game for them, and in 62 games for the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, their AHL affiliate, where he recorded 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points. The following season, 1986-1987, he played six games for the Oilers, scoring two goals and an assist, and appeared in 70 games for Nova Scotia, recording 14 goals and 33 assists for 47 points.

He would not play another game in the NHL, playing 60 games for the Voyageurs in 1987-1988 scoring 12 goals and 31 assists for 43 points; joining the Canadian National Team for 58 games in 1988-1989, scoring 18 goals and 16 assists for 34 points; and wind up his career with the Binghampton Whalers of the AHL in 1989-1990, playing in 12 games earning a goal and two assists.

He wrapped up his career with 134 NHL games, scoring 15 goals and adding 28 assists for 43 points. His AHL career was longer, with 63 goals and 133 assists for 196 points in 287 games for three different teams.

Parting thoughts
It is funny the odd things a person remembers. When we went to Bronco games, my Mom always said Molner because she knew someone by that name, and never did say Moller.

For me, Mike Moller was the first player I saw score a goal live, then see him do it again on TV in the pros.

It was actually pretty cool. Although I never met him, I felt that connection that junior hockey can create with its fans.

For years I have also believed that World Junior Team was the best Canadian junior team ever, not because of stats or super stars or talent, but because they paved the way for all the greatness to come. Had they fallen flat on their face, Canada may never have realized that junior success, or it may have been delayed for years to come.

So, I have always loved that team.

Because that Canada-Czechoslovakia game was not televised, I never knew Mike Moller scored the gold medal winning goal, until recently.

That only makes the memories even better.

Thanks for the memories Mike.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts “I Love Rock ‘n Roll”: Remembering the air band

Every time I hear “I Love Rock ‘n Roll” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts I am reminded of one of those unique aspects of junior high school culture – he air band.

It was Grade 8, so 1982-1983, at St. Joseph’s School in Coaldale, and the Student’s Union decided to put on an air band contest.

What resulted is something that was partly courageous, partly weird, and all ‘80s.

Do it again
In Grade 8, I was not really into music yet. That was still a year away. So the idea of an air band was foreign to me. The idea of being in an air band was alien to me. I was not much for getting up in front of my peers and pretending to sing a song, mostly out of fear, but also because I didn’t really know the words to any songs then, just parts of songs.

However, there were some entries from our class, and the Grade 9 class. The Grade 8 entry was my friend and neighbour Mike, and some of the girls in our class, singing “I Love Rock ‘n Roll”, which was one of the most popular songs of the time. One of the Grade 9 entries did the same song. Another group did “Telefone” by Sheena Easton. The Grade 9s got more into it because virtually the whole Student’s Union executive was Grade 9.

After everyone went, Mr. Matson, the staff advisor and Mrs. Virginallo, the vice-principal, said there would be no winner. No one really tried. There were no costumes, no energy, and it seemed like everyone was going through the motions.

They challenged all the groups to do it again.

Second chance
Mike and his group made the most of the second chance. The girls went crazy putting eye liner, rouge or blush, and lip liner on his face. He also wore what looked like a woman’s clothes.

That all puzzled me until one of the girls told me the singer of “I Love Rock ‘n Roll” was a woman.

More than that, Mike went out and took the stage in the school gym by storm. He was dancing all over the place and, because he knew all the words, made the lip sync almost perfect.

Not only did it blow out the other air band doing the same song, but won the whole thing.

Parting thoughts
The thought of standing in front of the whole school, mouthing the words to a song, and trying to dance around was pretty terrifying, even today. But that’s what an air band was.

I have to admit, in my immature junior high mind, I did find it a bit odd for a guy to wear make up and girls’ clothes. Yet, that’s also part of an air band – getting into character. It really is no different than acting.

And that’s why Mike and the girls won that air band. He looked and moved just like Joan Jett.

That’s why he killed it.

The power of Burt Bacharach

Songwriter and composer Burt Bacharach was prolific
in the 1980s, including "That's What Friends Are For"
and "Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do".
Source: ITV/Rex Features
https://www.theguardian.com/
music/2023/feb/09/burt-bacharach-obituary
(May be subject to copyright)

His face may not be as familiar as his music, but the work of Burt Bacharach fills the air of the 1980s with songs in movies and much more.

Even if you don’t recognize his name, it is more than likely that if you grew up in the 1980s you would recognize his songs.

Sadly, the music stopped a few weeks ago when Burt Bacharach died. He was 94.

Pre-history
Burt Bacharach had much of his success just as the 1980s had dawned, with songs such as “Rain Drops Keep Fallin’ on my Head" that was recorded by B.J. Thomas and appeared in the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” in 1969. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 and won an Oscar for best original song.

There was also “The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance” by Gene Pitney in 1962; “There’s Always Something There to Remind Me” by Lou Johnson in 1964, and covered by Naked Eyes in 1983; “What’s New Pussycat?” by Tom Jones in 1965; and also many songs recorded by Dionne Warwick including “I Say a Little Prayer” in 1967; and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” in 1968.

Chris Cross in the ‘80s
Burt Bacharach started the decade in style in 1981 with “Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do)” recorded by Christopher Cross.

Christopher Cross was on a roll. He had a hit in “Sailing” earlier in the year, which set the stage for “Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do)” which became a monster hit and put Cross in rare company. The song, which was the main theme for the movie “Arthur” starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minelli, won the Oscar for best original song in 1981, and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Second time lucky
In 1985, a group called Dionne and Friends, made up of Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Wonder, recorded a moving song, penned by Bacahrach and long-time partner Carole Bayer-Sager, called “That’s What Friend Are For”. It was a fundraiser for AIDS research and prevention, going all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the number one single in the United States in 1986. It also won Grammy Awards for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Song of the Year.

After that song came out, I saw a movie from 1982 called “Night Shift” starring Michael Keaton, Henry Winkler and Shelly Long, about two guys who work night shift at the morgue and start running prostitutes out of it.

At the end of the movie, the theme starts playing and sounds like “That’s What Friend Are For” but being sung by Rod Stewart. I had never heard it before, and it sounded kind of weird. It turns out Bacharach and Bayer Sager had written the song originally for Rod Stewart and the “Night Shift” sound track, and the Dionne and Friends song was a cover version.

Number one again
Bacharach and Bayer Sager hit number one again on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986, with “On My Own”, a duet recorded by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald. “On My Own”, about a relationship that had run its course with the couple going their separate ways, was released in February and stayed at number one for three weeks. Interestingly, it was initially written for Dionne Warwick for her album “Friends” released in 1985.

Burt Bacharach would continue recording almost up until his death.

Parting thoughts
It is interesting that the performer of a song is most associated with the song, when they may have had nothing to do with its writing or arrangement. Sometimes, you can hear songs from different performers and they have the same kind of feel.

That was the case with “That’s What Friends are For”, “On My Own”, and “Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You can Do)”. Dionne and Friends, Christopher Cross, and Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald are vastly different performers but those songs have a similar feel. Not only that, but they are powerful, emotional ballads.

What united them was Burt Bacharach who, with partner Carole Bayer Sager, penned some of the best songs of the last quarter of the 20th Century and beyond.

Anyone who didn’t recognize him by name, definitely recognized at least one of his songs.

That was the power of Burt Bacharach.

Raquel Welch: Versatile actor

Raquel Welch in a guest starring role in "Mork and Mindy"
with Robin Williams on November 18, 1979.
Source: Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
https://pagesix.com/2023/02/15/
raquel-welch-owned-up-to-her-diva-behavior-on-mork-mindy-set/
(May be subject to copyright)

She was the leader of an alien race that threatened Mork from Ork when I first encountered Raquel Welch but, as I look back I had a longer history with the actor.

I was sad to hear she passed away recently.

On guard!
It was the first movie I ever saw in the theatre, but I am not sure why. All I remember is going to the College Cinema in the Woolco Mall in Lethbridge to see “The Three Musketeers”. That was probably around 1974, because I don’t think I was in school yet. Less than a year later, we were back at College Cinema to see the sequel “The Four Muskateers”. I later learned the movies were filmed back-to-back, which accounts for their release so close together.

Not only was that the first movie I ever saw in the theatre, but the first time I saw Raquel Welch. She was playing Constance, dressmaker to the queen who had an affair with one of the musketeers, played by Michael York.

Going deep inside
One of my favourite video games on Intellivision was called “Microsurgeon”. It was designed by Imagic, an independent design studio, made up of former Atari and Intellivision designers. “Microsurgeon” took the player down to the cellular level, operating a ship equipped to literally kill disease in the body of a sick patient.

This was the same premise of a movie I always wanted to see called “The Fantastic Voyage”. My brother had even left behind the paperback when he went off to college. Yet, I never saw that movie.

Then, I came back to Southern Alberta in November of 1998 and started going to the Lethbridge Public Library every day it was open. I discovered they had an extensive movie collection, all free with the price of a library card.

One day, there sitting on the shelf, was “The Fantastic Voyage”. I flipped out my card and took the movie home.

That night I made another discovery – Raquel Welch was in the movie, and she was awesome.

Mork and Mindy
It was all the talk, including “TV Guide” – Raquel Welch was going to be on “Mork and Mindy”. She had a lot of star power and sex appeal, even among elementary boys.

It was about the speed of elementary boys too, as she appeared as an alien commander hunting Mork from Ork.

I recall it being good, but hesitate watching it as an adult for fear it isn’t as good as I remember.

The rest of the decade
Raquel Welch would appear in some powerful TV movies including “The Legend of Walks Far Woman” in 1982, about an aboriginal woman who kills her violent husband and is banished from her tribe; “Right to Die” in 1987, about a woman battling ALS who wants the right to die; and “Scandal in a Small Town” in 1988, about a woman who sues the local school board after her daughter is subjected to anti-Semitic propaganda in her history class.

She would continue acting on until 2017, appearing in everything from “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” to “Seinfeld”, “Spin City”, “Eight Simple Rules”, and “CSI: Miami”.

Parting thoughts
Raquel Welch probably had her greatest success before the 1980s. However, in the ‘80s, she took her act to television where she could have a good time in a comedy such as “Mork and Mindy”, then take a serious turn in a string of TV movies, tackling some serious issues such as the right to die and anti-Semitism in the classroom.

It just showed that, as much of a sex object as she was portrayed to be, she was also a good actor.

Now that is versatility.

Adam Rich: Remembering “Eight is Enough”

Adam Rich starred in "Eight is Enough" from 1977 to 1981 as
Nicholas Bradford, the youngest of eight children. Here he is at left,
with his TV dad, played by Dick Van Patten.
Source: Getty Images
https://www.etonline.com/
adam-rich-eight-is-enough-star-dead-at-54-196966
(May be subject to copyright)

The family was so big, they could have a full-scale touch football game just with family members. In fact there were eight children, and their parents.

That touch football game became part of the credits for “Eight is Enough” It was an hour long show that ran from 1977 to 1981, about the various members of the Bradford family in Sacramento.

The youngest member of that family was son, Nicholas, played by Adam Rich.

It was with sadness, I heard recently that Adam Rich had passed away at the age of 54.

Eight is Enough
It was only in the past few years I discovered “Eight is Enough” was actually based on a column by the same name by Tom Braden, about a man dealing with his family of eight children.

The show was centred on Tom Bradford, which sounds very similar to Tom Braden, as the father played by Dick Van Patten. He was a newspaper columnist working for the Sacramento newspaper. Interestingly, that was the first time I had ever heard about Sacramento, and learned through the show it was the state capital of California.

“Eight is Enough” aired on Channel 7 on peasant vision, and one of my earliest memories was watching it right after the first Leon Spinks-Muhammad Ali fight, which Spinks won.

At that moment, my Mom told me the actor who played Tom Bradford’s wife died the first year of the show, so he was a widow. As the show progressed he would meet, and re-marry, a woman played by Betty Buckley. She went on to join the cast as Tom’s second wife.

Of the eight children, the three actors who played the Bradford sons probably had the most success beyond the show – Grant Goodeve as David Bradford, the eldest child; Willie Aames as Tommy Bradford, the middle son; and Adam Rich as Nicholas Bradford, the youngest child of the family.

Adam Rich would play Nicholas for the entire run of the series, including two TV reunion movies, mixing comedy with a bit of drama.

Beyond “Eight is Enough”
Adam Rich would continue to have a solid career through the 1980s, playing the same kind of cute-but-wise kid roles.

My first memory of him post “Eight is Enough” is playing one of the three children whose souls are targeted by Max Devlin in the 1981 movie “The Devil and Max Devlin”. He plays Toby Hart, whose mom, played by Susan Anspach, is romanced by Max to get at Eddie and his soul. In the end Max does the right thing, saving the souls of all three children including Toby’s, and they live happily ever after as a family.

Rich would begin to grow up as the decade wore on. However, he still played the roles of children in two short-lived TV shows I recall seeing a bit of.

“Code Red” aired in 1981, focusing on a firefighting family, headed by Lorne Greene who was a battalion fire chief. I recall it aired on Channel 7, and lasted 19 episodes. Rich played Danny Blake, Greene's pre-teen adopted.

“Gun Shy”, airing in 1983, was about a gun fighter who won two children in a poker game. Rich took over the role of Clovis, one of the two children, for the final two episodes of the show’s six-episode run. He replaced, Keith Mitchell, another child actor of the era.

Rich would also guest star in “Fantasy Island”, “CHiPs”, “St. Elsewhere”, and “Silver Spoons” before the end of the decade.

He would continue acting until 2003. On January 7 of this year, Adam Rich died. He was 54.

Parting thoughts
Are children smarter than adults? On ‘80s TV, there were a bunch of shows where the child seemed to be wiser than the parent.

Adam Rich would take that role from “Eight is Enough” through to “Code Red” and “Gun Shy”, but he never gained the same success after “Eight is Enough”.

Still, Nicholas Bradford was a memorable character, and he instantly comes to mind with that pageboy haircut.

When he passed away, I texted the news to a friend.

My friend's response: “The one with that bowl straight haircut?”

Need I say more.

Cindy Williams: Remembering Shirley from “Laverne and Shirley”

Cindy Williams, at left, with long-time
co-star Penny Marshall in "Laverne and Shirley".
Source: https://tvline.com/2023/01/30/
cindy-williams-dead-laverne-and-shirley-obituary/
(May be subject to copyright)

“A One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight. Schlemiel. Schlimazel. Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!”

~ the opening credits of Laverne and Shirley.

It was a regular part of viewing – watching two women, arms linked, reciting something I could not quite understand, or so I thought, as they danced down a sidewalk that led straight into the theme music for the show.

Those two women were Laverne Defazio, who had a handwritten “L” on the left side of her chest on every blouse, shirt, sweater and coat she wore, and Shirley Feeney. They worked at Schatz Brewery in Milwaukee, and had no end of adventures with their weird cast of characters in the aptly titled sitcom, “Laverne and Shirley”.

A few months ago I heard about the death of Cindy Williams, at age 75, and it brought back a lot of memories of “Laverne and Shirley”

Prelude to a kiss
The first time I ever saw Cindy Williams was in director George Lucas’ first film “American Graffiti” where she played girlfriend to Ron Howard’s character in a night in the lives of some teenagers in the 1950s. It would not be the last time the two would get together on screen.

These “Happy Days”
Must see viewing on Tuesday nights on Channel 9 on the peasant vision dial was “Happy Days”. One episode, the Fonz sets up his best friend Richie Cunningham on a double date with two women. They were named Laverne and Shirley. Fonzie would take Laverne and Richie would date Shirley.

Richie’s parents are out for the night when the girls come over. The Fonz and Laverne quickly go back to his place while Shirley stays with Richie. She starts to tell a story about a recent fight she had with Laverne.

She told Laverne, “You have a mouth like a sewa (sewer).” One thing led to another and Shirley described how she curled up her fist and hit her – and inadvertently smacks Richie. Shirley, horrified, immediately drops to the floor beside Richie and says, “Let me kiss a boo boo.”

At that point, Richie’s parents come home.

That was the beginning of “Laverne and Shirley”.

Colourful characters
“Laverne and Shirley” was populated by a bunch of colourful characters. There was Laverne’s dad Frank Defazio, who owned the Pizza Bowl, where you could bowl a few frames while you had a slice or two. There was his girlfriend and later wife Edna Babish, who was the girls’ landlady. There was Carmine Ragusa, the Big Ragu, who was a dancer, singer and boxer who had an on-again, off-again romance with Shirley. And of course there were Lenny and Squiggy, who just looked greasy and goofy, but were still family.

Two quick Lenny and Squiggy memories. They were making a deal and when the others said “Let’s shake on it”, they literally started shaking their bodies, instead of their hands. Often, someone said something odd, gross, or awkward like “That sounds like a toilet”, or “Only someone greasy would do that”and suddenly Lenny and Squiggy would burst through the door with Squiggy saying “Hello”.

And a Carmine Ragusa memory. He was a singer and I recall him singing, “You’ll never go from Rags to Riches”. It seemed like kind of a theme song for him. It turns out he was also a friend of the Fonz’s as they teamed up once, in an episode of “Happy Days” I believe, to save the day.

Opening credits
The show starts with Laverne and Shirley, arms linked. They're doing what looks like hopscotch that turns into a dance, leading straight into the theme “Making Our Dreams Come True”. They are reciting these words that I never understood.

While researching this entry, I discovered I was getting the words right. They in fact are not English, but a Yiddish-American hopscotch chant from Penny Marshall’s childhood.

This was another song I recorded off TV with a tape deck my brother left behind when he went off to college. It had an actual microphone I held right up to the speaker on the TV. I recall listening to that, rewinding it, and listening again trying to figure out what they were saying.

The end
The show went on for eight seasons, moving from Milwaukee to California starting in season six. After season seven Cindy Williams got pregnant. After two episodes in season eight, she was written out, after protesting a schedule that had her working on her due date. She left the show, sued the studio, and there was no more Shirley in “Laverne and Shirley”, although the name was never changed.

After the eighth season, “Laverne and Shirley”, which ran from 1976 to 1983, starting as a mid-season replacement for the 1975-1976 season, was cancelled, after a total of 178 episodes.

Imitation
A few years after the show was off the air, I heard something interesting. Schatz Brewery was a fictional brewery but it was not until years later I heard of Schlitz Beer. After all, back then without cable TV, I didn’t know about a lot of American products. Well, Schlitz is Schatz, but you probably already knew that.

See you Sunday night
Cindy Williams did some other work in the 1980s, but the one role that sticks out for me is not only a great role she played, but a movie that kicked off a new feature on Sunday nights on CBC.

The movie, released in 1986, was called “Help Wanted: Kids”. Williams and Bill Hudson, her real-life husband of the time, played ad executives married to each other. Intending to make a good impression on their new boss, they hire two orphans to play their children.

“Help Wanted: Kids” kicked off a new feature on ABC called “The Disney Sunday Movie”. Each movie would be introduced by Michael Eisner who was the head of Disney at the time. A few months later, CBC followed suit. They slid it into their Sunday night line-up where “Magical World of Disney” had played after “The Beachcombers” for years.

I recall doing my homework and only half watching this movie, until a pivotal scene when the music playing in the background as the adults went after their upset children was “Broken Wings” by Mr. Mister.

Parting thoughts
It is always interesting that someone can create a signature role then just be discarded at a moment’s notice. For seven years Cindy Williams played Shirley Feeney helping take the show to number one in the ratings and, in 1978, earning a Golden Globe nomination for the role. Then, she decided to start a family and the producers couldn't even show enough sympathy to give her time to have the baby.

It was a sad ending to a role that I am sure made the studio and the network more money than Cindy Williams ever saw.

Yet, time does have a way of blurring the bad things some times. I had forgotten all that, other than Williams getting pregnant while making the show. Maybe it wasn’t as public as it certainly would be today.

In any event, the over-arching memories are of Cindy Williams playing alongside Penny Marshall in a comedy that made you laugh, out loud some times, and occasionally even made you cry.

They portrayed a simpler time where everything always seemed to work out in the end.

That’s not a bad legacy to leave.

Remembering “Bad Bad Boy” by Haywire

The summer of 1986 I went to visit my cousins in Brooks and I accompanied my cousin Fred to Duchess to visit with one of is bandmates.

Their band learned every song by ear, and later that night I watched my cousins Fred and Vince learn the song “Take it Easy” by Andy Taylor.

But when we entered that basement in Duchess, the song playing was “Bad, Bad Boy”.

The song
“Bad, Bad Boy” was performed by Haywire, and the music video was shot in part in a roller rink. The song would go all the way to number 21 on the charts in Canada in 1986.

Battle of the bands
Haywire was a band from Prince Edward Island, who won a couple contests that earned them the money to record their material. One was the “Q-104 Homegrown” contest in 1984, and the other was the Labatt’s “Battle of the Bands” in 1985, that eventually lead to a recording contract.

Radio goes Haywire
The band would go on to have some other songs I distinctly remember, starting with “Standing in Line” and “Shot in the Dark” off the same album as “Bad Bad Boy’. They released another album which produced more singles, namely “Black and Blue”, “Dance Desire” and “Thinkin’ About the Years:”.

Parting thoughts
There was a time when Canadian bands proliferated the radio waves, partly because they benefited from Canadian content rules and partly because they were just good. Haywire was a band that likely would not have hit the airwaves if they weren’t Canadian, but when they did, listeners discovered they were just good.

"Bad Bad Boy" also takes me back to that summer, the last one I spent with my cousins in Brooks after five years of great times together. It reminds how much they loved music, how talented they were, and how cool it was to hang out with them.

“Take off, ya hoser”: Remembering Bob and Doug McKenzie

Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis as Bob and Doug McKenzie, the fictional brothers and hosts of "The Great White North" on SCTV in the 1980s.
Source: https://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2020/08/23/how-gut-feeling-made-million-bob-doug-mckenzie
(May be subject to copyright)

It was a fad that swept the nation – toques, ear muffs, scarves, parkas and lots of plaid checkered shirts and coats. It was spawned by two beer-guzzling brothers who called each other hosers and hosted a segment called “The Great White North” on the fictitious SCTV or Second City Television.

They were Bob and Doug McKenzie, played by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis and their popularity stretched beyond “SCTV” on CBC and NBC, to a hit song, Christmas song and all the way to a major motion picture called “Strange Brew”.

The Mackenzie brothers are back in the news again these days as Thomas and Moranis have reprised their roles to take part in a campaign to protest the federal government’s tax increases on liquor.

The Great White North
SCTV was a uniquely Canadian show that not only capitalized on some of the best comic minds in Canada, but told uniquely Canadian jokes. Simple examples that come to mind are the soap opera “Moncton”, and the crime drama, “Magnum P.E.I.”.

Out of that environment came a segment as Canadian as hockey, the maple leaf and the beaver. It was called “The Great White North” and was hosted by Bob and Doug Mackenzie. They made jokes, drank beer out of stubby beer bottles, mocked each other as only brothers can, and dressed in ear muffs, toques, and parkas.

Their speech was punctuated with plenty of “eh” and if they were annoyed told each other to “take off”. If they were really annoyed they would call each other “hosers”.

Soon, the popularity of Bob and Doug would expand beyond Friday nights on CBC.

Heard it on vinyl
One of my cousins first played it on her turn table. It was a record, issued in 1981, called “The Great White North” and featured the song “Take Off”. I remember the chorus, by what I thought was a female voice, belting out “taaaake off, to the Great White North.” I recently learned it was actually Geddy Lee of Rush. In fact, Moranis went to elementary school with Geddy Lee.

The song was so popular, it made it all the way to number 16 on the Billboard 100 Singles chart in March of 1982.

Another track that really resonated in our junior high was Bob and Doug’s re-working of “The 12 Days of Christmas”. It included five golden toques, four pounds of back bacon, three French horns, two turtle necks , and a beer in a tree. That too, was uniquely Canadian.

A third track I recall was “The Beer Hunter”, a parody of the movie “The Deer Hunter” and Russian Roulette. Instead of a loaded gun though, the weapon is a beer can that may or may not have been shaken. Opening it may or may not mean a beer face wash.

Going to the movies
The McKenzie brothers even made their way on to the big screen with the theatrical release in 1983 of “Strange Brew”.

I never saw the movie in its entirety. One scene I do remember is one of the brothers trapped in a beer vat and to save himself, he drank the whole thing. He looked bloated too.

According to Wikipedia, the movie is loosely based on “Hamlet”.

Hoser Day
At its height, Bob and Doug McKenzie and “The Great White North” gripped the country. It was a huge national fad.

In Social Studies class at St. Joseph’s Elementary Junior High we used to watch a show on CBC called “What’s New?”. It was about current events, aimed at junior high-age students. It also had quizzes that we took periodically.

One day, we were watching “What’s New?” and one of the segments was on Bob and Doug McKenzie, “The Great White North”, and how schools across Canada were having “Hoser Days”. They showed news clips at schools of students wearing toques, parkas, plaid, and ear muffs, holding stubby beer bottles and frying back bacon, made out of paper.

Our student council wasn’t very progressive, but one thing our social convenor finally did was plan a “Hoser Day”.

I remember that day distinctly. When I walked through the front doors of the school, one of our teachers, Mr. C, walked by in costume. Except he was wearing orange coveralls and a fisherman’s rain cap. He definitely showed up dressed like a goof, but nothing like a hoser. As he walked past, one of my classmates said, “That’s not it at all.” Looking back, I do give our teacher credit for dressing up.

However two classmates that knew exactly what it was were Mike Kozbial and Joe Darveau who dressed like Bob and Doug. They were awesome.

I also recall my friend David Perlich wearing a lumberjack coat and toque. He told me when he was getting ready the night before, he had nothing to wear but, when he told his mom what he was trying to do, she said his dad had a lumberjack coat somewhere. She found it, and David made a fine hoser.

Parting thoughts
Something I recently discovered is that “The Great White North” was intended to be a spoof of and mock Canadian content rules. Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis were actually thumbing their nose at the CBC. They were poking good natured fun at some of the unique things about being Canadian – drinking beer, best done out of stubby bottles; eating back bacon; wearing toques, ear muffs, parkas and a healthy helping of plaid; and most importantly, frequent using the word “eh”.

What resulted was something that became a national institution. It spawned Hoser Days at schools, songs, records, and even a movie. Not only did Bob and Doug McKenzie become household names in Canada with their beer guzzling commentary, but they went international. NBC wanted “The Great White North” included when they picked up “SCTV”.

Bob and Doug McKenzie became part of the fabric of Canadian culture, the same fabric you could see in their toques, scarves, parkas, and maybe even ear muffs.

Harold Carmichael: The model of consistency

Harold Carmichael, pictured here with the
Phildelphia Eagles, had a reception in 127 consecutive games.
Source: AP, https://www.cantonrep.com/story/sports/2021/08/04/
harold-carmichael-pro-football-hall-fame-
receiver-centennial-class-2020-philadelphia-eagles-canton/8026612002/
(May be subject to copyright)

He was the very epitome of dependable, so much so he set the NFL record for most consecutive games with at least one catch.

He was there when his Philadelphia Eagles went from being one of the league’s worst to the team’s first trip to the Super Bowl.

He was there when I started watching NFL football, and he was the first receiver who really caught my eye.

Only later did I discover how great Harold Carmichael was.

I was reminded of that time recently, when he represented the Eagles in bringing the Vince Lombardi trophy to the stadium in this year’s Super Bowl.

There from the start
I started watching NFL football in earnest in 1979. Since both CBC and CTV aired CFL football, there was no NFL football on Canadian TV – read here peasant vision – until the end of the Grey Cup. After that, CBC aired NFC games and CTV aired AFC games.

Back then, I seemed to see one of two teams on CBC fairly often – the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Philadelphia Eagles. They even met in the playoffs in 1979.

I remember that Eagles team had a good defence, but it was the offence I really liked. They had a strong, tough, poised quarterback in Ron Jaworski, a solid runningback in Wilburt Montgomery, and a dependable receiver in Harold Carmichael who may have been one of the tallest receivers I ever saw.

After making the playoffs in 1978, the Eagles were back in 1979 as a Wild Card, then won their division, the NFC East, in 1980.

By the numbers
Harold Carmichael had established himself as one of the best, most consistent receivers as the 1980s started. In 1980, he established an NFL record by having at least one reception in 127 consecutive games. He also helped lead the Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl. Carmichael had five receptions for 83 yards in that Super Bowl.

He had 48 receptions for 815 yards and nine touchdowns in 1980, on his way to his fourth and final Pro Bowl selection. The next season, 1981, he had 61 receptions for 1,028 yards and six touchdowns. It was his third and final 1,000-yard season. In 1982, he had 35 receptions for 540 yards and four touchdowns. Then, in his final season with the Eagles in 1983, he had 38 receptions for 515 yards and three touchdowns.

He was waived by the Eagles, and signed with their division rival, the Dallas Cowboys, where he played in two games in 1984, recording one catch for seven yards, and was cut in November.

Carmichael wound up his career with 590 receptions for 8,985 yards and 79 touchdowns.

He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

Tears of joy
A few years ago, I bought a used copy of “The Professionals”, a movie by NFL Films that profiled a number of players and coaches who were unique for their professionalism. The list included Dick Butkus, Jim Marshall, Billy Kilmer, and former Eagles coach Dick Vermeil. The film talked about how Vermeil took over a team that was a perennial loser. He turned the team around, and they showed an interview with him after the Eagles secured the first winning season in a long time. Renowned for being so emotional he would come to tears, Vermeil was happy for all those players who were finally winners after all those years of losing. He mentioned Harold Carmichael by name.

Parting thoughts
When I first started watching NFL football, Harold Carmichael was one of the receivers that just stood out, not just for catching the ball but for being such a large target.

I hadn’t watched enough football to see how great he really was, much less that he would put up Hall of Fame numbers.

But what I will always remember was that streak, and how he had recorded at least one reception in so many straight games.

It just told me Harold Carmichael showed up every game, and he produced every game.

He was the model of consistency.

Byron Allen: Remembering “Real People”

"Real People" was a news magazine show that run from 1979 to 1984.
In back is John Barbour; in middle from left are Sarah Purcell
and Skip Stephenson; and in front from left are Byron Allen and Bill Rafferty.
Source: https://clickamericana.com/media/television-shows/
real-people-tv-show-helped-kick-off-the-reality-television-trend-1979-1984
(May be subject to copyright)

It was must-see viewing on Wednesday nights on Channel 13. It was a television magazine that brought into our living room the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary or interesting things.

It is where Americans first learned about something that was becoming legendary in Canada – the courage and determination of Terry Fox. But it was also where we met a man who spoke backwards. He likened it to Russian, because he had heard Russian on TV and thought this sounded like it. We met a man who spoke incredibly fast, and saw a contest on who could solve the Rubik’s Cube the fastest. We saw the collectors of rare, exotic, and odd objects, and people who made a difference in the world.

It was “Real People”, and one of the hosts was a young comedian named Byron Allen.

I saw a much older Byron Allen recently, hosting “Entertainers with Byron Allen”, and it reminded me of “Real People”.

Heard it through the grapevine
The first I ever heard of “Real People” was at school in Grade 5. Some of my classmates had cable TV and got to see American network television. One of the shows they got to see, because it really was family viewing, and early in the evening, was this show about ordinary people doing interesting things.

It was called “Real People”.

However, it would take a year before it made to the peasant vision dial. When it did, it became regular weekly viewing for us too.

The show
“Real People” initially had a quintet of hosts including Skip Stephenson, Sarah Purcell, Canadian John Barbour, Bill Rafferty and Byron Allen.

One of the running gags was the flirting that happened weekly between Stephenson and Purcell. I later discovered many viewers thought the two of them were actually a couple.

Soon, I found out John Barbour was Canadian and that was pretty cool, because I loved it when I discovered someone on U.S. TV was Canadian. He even made occasional references to being Canadian. One I remember involved hockey and Barbour actually suiting up in his hockey gear, with a blue jersey as I recall.

Byron Allen was kind of the new kid on the block, funny but also hip.

The show would go on to run five seasons, from 1979 to 1984.

Real Kids
The network also tried a spin-off at one point called “Real Kids” with Peter Billingsley as host. I remember the first episode and a feature the show did on kid who could spin or twirl anything on his finger. I recall it starting with a basketball then moving on to a bunch of other things including a clipboard.

Sounds great
I absolutely loved the theme song for “Real People”. When my brother went off to college, he left behind a big tape deck with a handheld microphone. One of the things I loved to do was tape stuff of the TV. One of the first things I taped, and I taped it twice for the best sound and clarity, was the theme song for “Real People”. In fact, I can hear it in my head right now as I am typing.

Parting thoughts
I remember when “Real People” started on our channels, I really looked forward to watching it every week.

It reminded me of a magazine. When you read a magazine, one of the joys is not knowing what you are going to discover until you actually open it up. There could be something funny, something touching, something poignant, something life altering or nothing of interest at all.

That was the charm of “Real People”. When you tuned in, it could have something funny, something touching, something poignant, or something life altering.

That’s not only where Byron Allen got his start, but he was part of the magic that was “Real People”.

Joanna Kerns: From “Three’s Company” to “Growing Pains” to A “Million Little Things”

Joanna Kerns, at right, co-starred with Alan Thicke, in the 1980s sitcom "Growing Pains" from 1985 to 1992.
Source: https://www.today.com/health/growing-pains-star-joanna-kerns-underwent-double-mastectomy-t116374
(May be subject to copyright)

It was a name I had not seen for a long time. When I saw the name, it brought back all sorts of memories of slapstick comedy and sitcom success.

In the opening credits of the season premiere of “A Million Little Things”, I noticed the director was Joanna Kerns.

To me though, I will always think of two shows: “Three’s Company” and “Growing Pains”.

Three’s Company
The premise is simple. It was a time when it was frowned upon for men to share apartments with women they weren’t married to. Jack Tripper, played by John Ritter, had to pretend to be gay in order to room with two women – Chrissy Snow, played by Suzanne Summers and Janet Wood played by Joyce Dewitt.

Jack wasn’t really gay, the exact opposite actually, so he dated plenty of women. One was a sexy blonde played by a young Joanna Kerns. In fact, she played two different dates on two different episodes of the show.

It was only two episodes, but one scene I remember well. Kerns was Jack’s date, and he found himself double booked – as only he could. He had to pretend to be sick and told her so. Well, she decided to surprise Jack with a pot of chicken soup. Then she showed up unannounced and discovered what was really going on. I recall Jack ended up wearing that soup.

I believe that ended his relationship with that woman. I would not see Joanna Kerns until she surfaced a few years later in a new sitcom.

Growing Pains
By 1985, “The Cosby Show” had become such a hit that, like any popular show of that period, it spawned a number of imitations. Whenever this happened, the contenders turned to pretenders pretty fast. They just could not replicate the success of the original. That's what happened with “Charlie and Company”, an imitator that starred Flip Wilson, Gladys Knight and Kristoff St. John. Despite the star power, it quickly faded to black.

That's not what happened to “Growing Pains”. It followed along the same lines as “The Cosby Show”, with two working, professional parents, and a household of wise, and wisecracking, children. In this case Jason Seaver was a psychiatrist, played by Alan Thicke, who moved his practice to a home office. He had three children and a wife named Maggie, played by Joanna Kerns.

She was the perfect foil for Alan Thicke, and her three children. However, the show also did tackle some tougher issues. It showed Maggie was a compassionate, sensitive mother as well.

Ultimately, Maggie would go back to work as a journalist, and stay with “Growing Pains” for its entire seven-season run from 1985 to 1992.

Parting thoughts
It was not until I regularly watched “Growing Pains” that I realized I had seen Joanna Kerns before. The woman who played a couple of the women Jack Tripper dated, was playing Maggie Seaver. In a few short years, she had changed that much, and matured as an actor.

Joanna Kerns did a great job playing Maggie Seaver. She was always engaging and independent, but also the perfect match for Jason Seaver.

“Growing Pains” may have started out trying to mimic “The Cosby Show”, but it definitely developed a character and style of its own, and Joanna Kerns played a big part in that.

Coincidentally, I started this post on February 11. Little did I know that the very next day, February 12, was Joanna Kerns’ birthday.

Sometimes things are just meant to happen at a certain time.

Paul Rodriguez: Remembering “a.k.a. Pablo”

Paul Rodriguez starred in "a.k.a. Pablo" in 1984.
From left are Joe Santos; Rodriguez; and Katy Jurado.
Source: https://www.episodate.com/tv-show/a-k-a-pablo
(May be subject to copyright)

These days, he may be the endearing father of Gary Mendez on “A Million Little Things”, but the minute I saw him, I was taken back to the 1980s and a little known sitcom called “a.k.a. Pablo”.

Such was my first exposure to Paul Rodriguez.

Coming soon

More than anything, what I remember about “a.k.a. Pablo” was all the publicity. There was a lot of talk about it well in advance of it airing. Much of what I saw was on “Entertainment Tonight”.

A lot of the talk was that Paul Rodriguez had become quite successful as a comedian on the stage. “a.k.a. Pablo” was an attempt to bring that comedy act to television. More than that, he had caught the attention of Norman Lear.

Lear produced groundbreaking shows that pushed the limits of the time such as "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons". These shows had their share of social commentary on race relations in America, and in "a.k.a. Pablo" he was looking to expand on that.

“a.k.a. Pablo”
The show centred on Paul Rivera, who still goes by his given name Pablo around his family. It delved into the life of a comic from a Hispanic family, who often made ethnic jokes about his Mexican-American heritage.

Co-starring with Rodriguez was Joe Santos, who had made a name for himself as Lieutenant Dennis Becker, the police friend of Jim Rockford in “The Rockford Files”. There were a lot of Mexican jokes, and references to K-Mart, which I did not get, but I was like 14 or so. Incidentally, we didn’t have K-Mart where I grew up although Kresge’s in Lethbridge did sell K-Mart brand products.

When the show finally aired in March of 1984, it really did not catch on, and was gone almost as fast as it debuted. It lasted a total of six episodes.

As was so often the case, by the time it hit peasant vision on CBC Channel 9 I believe, I was pretty sure it was already cancelled. I do remember watching it, and being more taken with Joe Santos playing the dad, than Paul Rodriguez.

The years after
The next time I saw Paul Rodriguez was in 1986 in the movie “Quicksilver” starring Kevin Bacon, where they both played bicycle messengers.

Rodriguez would go on to do movies and TV shows, and a lot of comedy – specials and movies, right up to the present.

His most recent role was as Gary Mendez’s father on “A Million Little Things” where he was absolutely brilliant.

Parting thoughts
Television is full of shows where stand-up comics brought their acts to television. It started with Bill Cosby and “The Cosby Show”, but moved on to Jerry Seinfeld in “Seinfeld”; Paul Reiser in “Mad About You”; Tim Allen in “Home Improvement”; and Ray Romano in “Everybody Loves Raymond”.

Paul Rodriguez endeavoured to do that too, but “a.k.a. Pablo” just was not the right vehicle.

Still, he would go on to have a solid career in comedy, entertaining crowds to this day, with his own brand of comedy about the Mexican-American experience.

The interesting thing is, the role I will remember him best for is the loving, supportive and slightly inappropriate dad on “A Million Little Things”.

If you look close enough, maybe you see a little Pablo Rivera in that role too.

“Keep Me Hangin’ On” by Kim Wilde: Remembering the end of high school

It came blasting out of nowhere.

It was the second semester of Grade 12, in the spring some time. I had an afternoon spare and was sitting in the lunch room at Kate Andrews High School just across from the entrance to the gym closest to the stage.

The Phys Ed 20 class was going on and suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, some Grade 11 girls appeared with a ghetto blaster, moving to the music.

They were playing “Keep Me Hangin’ On” by Kim Wilde, and it just reminded me of a simpler time.

End of the line
I only had two classes in second semester – Math 30 and Math 31. I initially started with four – including German 30 and Biology 30 – but dropped those as the realization came on me that I did not need them either to graduate, or for university (or so I thought, but that is another story). I also had the encouragement of Chris Vining, my best friend of the time, who was seeking some company for his spare.

By then, high school was winding down, and the finality of that was just beginning to sink in.

I also had experienced a bit of a re-birth. I started hanging out with some pretty cool Grade 11s, who were actually my age because I was a year ahead in school. And, I grew some courage and started asking some of those Grade 11 girls out on dates. One said no, and one said yes. The bigger disaster was the one who said yes, actually.

At that same time, I was writing a movie script, which later became a stage play, about my time in high school. I had written it in first semester, but now had started the process of trying to produce it on my own, so I was re-writing the screen play as a stage play.

I did some of that upstairs in the school library, but also downstairs in that lunch room.

To be honest, I had developed a crush on one of the Grade 11 students, and I spent time down in that lunch room hoping to “accidentally” run into her.

That happened maybe once, but it was enough to “Keep Me Hangin’ On”.

The song
I had forgotten “Keep Me Hangin’ On” was covered by Kim Wilde. It was first recorded by the Supremes in 1966 and went all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Wilde released it in 1986, and her version went all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 again – in June of 1987.

Parting thoughts
“Keep Me Hangin’ On” will always take me back to the lunch room at Kate Andrews High School in Coaldale in 1987. It really was a time when I worried more about whether a girl liked me than what I was going to do with my life. The reality that high school was ending, and I was heading off to university was sinking in, too.

When I saw those Grade 11 girls dancing and having fun with that ghetto blaster in the lunch room, I remember having one particular thought. They were so lucky they had another year of high school. They didn’t seem to have a care in the world.

How simple life was back then.

The sweetness that was Walter Payton

Chicago Bear great Walter Payton running with the football.
Source: https://www.blackpast.org/
african-american-history/payton-walter-jerry-1954-1999/
(May be subject to copyright)

There was no runningback I saw who ran quite look him. He was just as comfortable diving over a pile as running around it. He seemed to glide on the field either finding a seam up the middle or getting outside and pulling away from everyone.

Teams could bottle him up for awhile, but he always found a way to get his yards.

He started on a team where he was the attraction, and he had to wait for everyone else to catch up.

When they did, they had one of the greatest seasons in NFL history.

I recently watched a “Football Life” on Walter Payton, and it just reminded me of the greatness that was Walter Payton.

Dawn of the decade
As the 1980s opened, Walter Payton was firmly entrenched as one of the premiere backs in the NFL. He was a most valuable player; an offensive player of the year; All-Pro; Pro Bowl selection; and rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and rushing attempts leader.

The Bears had made the playoffs in 1977 and 1979, but would be on the outside looking in starting in 1980.

Meanwhile, Walter Payton kept putting up great numbers. He rushed for 1,460 yards and six touchdowns in 1980; 1,222 yards and six touchdowns in 1981; 596 yards and one touchdown in the strike-shortened 1982 season; and 1,421 yards and six touchdowns in 1983.

Then the Bears caught up to Payton. They finally had a defence to dominate on that side of the ball as much as their star runningback did on the offensive side.

Breakthrough
Payton again was dominant in 1984, running for 1,684 yards, the second highest total of his career, and 11 touchdowns. Payton also broke Jim Brown’s career rushing record of 12,312 yards. He was a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection as well.

The Bears improved to 8-8 in 1983, from 3-6 in the strike-shortened 1982 season, and in the 1984 season, began a major turnaround. The Bears finished 10-6, winning the NFC Central Division, and qualifying for the playoffs. They upset Washington, the defending NFC champions, in the NFC Divisional Game before losing to San Francisco who went on to win the Super Bowl.

That was just a hint of things to come.

Championship season
The Bears would turn in one of the greatest seasons in history. They went 15-1, shut out both their opponents in the NFC playoffs, and blew out New England for the club’s first and only Super Bowl championship.

Payton led the offence with 1,551 yards rushing, nine touchdowns, was a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection. He also had 49 receptions for 483 yards and two more touchdowns.

However, what has always bothered me was that in that Super Bowl blowout, Payton did not score a touchdown after all he had done for his team, especially through the lean years. Worse, William “The Refrigerator” Perry scored a touchdown on what amounted to a gimmick play. That was not cool.

The end
Walter Payton rushed for 1,333 yards and eight touchdowns in 1986, but his Bears lost to Washington in the divisional round. At the end of that season, he announced the 1987 season would be his last.

That season was shortened by a strike, and Payton was relegated to sharing rushing duties with Neal Anderson, who had been ordained his successor. Payton rushed for a career-low 533 yards and four touchdowns. The Bears again lost to Washington in the divisional round, and that would be Payton’s last game.

He finished his career rushing for 16,726, which was an NFL record, and 110 touchdowns. He also caught 492 passes for 4,538 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Payton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

Sadly, he died as a result of a rare liver disease in 1999. He was 46 years old.

Parting thoughts
There was no one like Walter Payton. He was just so smooth on the field, he just seemed to glide when he got into the open field. Yet, he was also able to dive over a pile, keep his balance enough to keep running, and he was not afraid to initiate contact. Add to that the fact he could catch the ball coming out of the backfield for significant yardage, and he was one of the best all-around backs in history.

I was also glad he was able to cap off that career with a Super Bowl championship. The only thing missing from his career was a touchdown in the Supper Bowl. His coach Mike Ditka, has said that is one of his biggest regrets.

Watching Walter Payton run was always so sweet.

After all he was “Sweetness”.

The trials and tribulations of the black quarterback

Back in the 1980s, if a black professional football player wanted to play quarterback, his best chance was in the Canadian Football League. Above are Warren Moon, at left, and J.C. Watts, who faced off against each other in the 1981 Grey Cup. It was the first professional football championship that saw black starting quarterbacks face each other. It did not happen in the NFL until this year, 42 years after Watts and Moon.
Source: https://ninetynineyards.com/2021/11/15/grey-cup-history-the-1981-game/
(May be subject to copyright)

It’s hard to believe when Jalen Hurts and his Philadelphia Eagles took on Patrick Mahomes Junior and his Kanasas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, it was the first time in NFL history two black quarterbacks played each other in the championship game.

It is just as hard to believe we are still talking about it, because black quarterbacks such as Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Jameis Winston, Jacoby Brissett, Geno Smith, Josh Johnson, Kyler Murray, and the aforementioned Hurts and Mahomes, are all over the league.

Yet, as the 1980s dawned, NFL teams still believed black quarterbacks were incapable of playing quarterback.

If you wanted to play quarterback, you had to go to Canada, where the league was much more colour blind.

Such was the plight of the black quarterback in the 1980s.

But why?
The reasons were all racist – “they” weren’t smart enough; “they” could not read defences; and “they” would just tuck and run with the ball. Oh, “they” were good athletes though, good enough to play runningback, receiver, or defensive back, but just not quarterback.

What made the situation even more unbelievable was, how in college, black quarterbacks could put up good numbers, win games, and show all the skills a good quarterback needs. But when pro teams looked at them, they were invariably drafted as receivers or defensive backs, or just completely ignored. Meanwhile, white quarterbacks with half the accomplishments were not only welcomed to the NFL, but given chance after chance after chance.

There really is nothing that can credibly explain it.

As the 1980s opened, there were few black quarterbacks, and fewer starters. As the decade closed in 1989, the situation was not much better in the NFL. In the CFL, it was groundbreaking, but no one even really noticed.

In 1987, Doug Williams became the
first black quarterback
to start and win the Super Bowl.
Source: AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File
https://www.twincities.com/2018/01/26/
redskins-doug-williams-looks-at-
progress-made-30-years-after-being
-first-super-bowl-winning-back-qb/
(May be subject to copyright)

Doug Williams
The most prominent black quarterback at the dawn of the 1980s was Doug Williams of the upstart and until recently, doormat of the NFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Along with a domineering defence, Williams led the Buccaneers to the 1979 NFC Championship Game where he got knocked out of the game and the Los Angeles Rams won 9-0 on three field goals by Frank Corrall. In fact, Williams led the Buccaneers to the playoffs three times in the five seasons he played in Tampa Bay. He also was part of history in a game in 1979 when the Buccaneers played Chicago who had Vince Evans as their starting quarterback. It was the first time in history when teams with black starting quarterbacks played each other.

Williams would eventually leave Tampa Bay over a contract dispute after the 1982 season and sat out 1983. He was the lowest paid starter in the NFL, and paid less than 12 backups. He would go to the rival USFL for 1984 and 1985. When the USFL folded, Williams returned to the NFL in 1986 with Washington, staying until 1989.

In the 1987 Super Bowl, he had one of the greatest performances in Super Bowl history. Not only did he again make history as the first black quarterback to start the Super Bowl, but he broke Super Bowl records for most passing yards in a Super Bowl with 340, and most touchdown passes in a quarter with four. He was the first black quarterback to win the Super Bowl, and the Super Bowl most valuable player.

Vince Evans played for Chicago and Oaklnd/LA.
Source: RONALD C. MODRA/
SPORTS IMAGERY/GETTY IMAGES
https://andscape.com/features/
usc-bears-nfl-vince-evans-black-quarterback/
(May be subject to copyright)

The others
After his stint with the Chicago Bears, Vince Evans also went to the USFL for two years and back again, playing 16 years in the NFL, for a total of 18 seasons. He had a serviceable career, much of it as a backup with the Los Angeles and Oakland Raiders after his return to the NFL from the USFL.

Randall Cunningham, who had starred at UNLV, entered the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985, backing up long-time starter Ron Jaworski. He would supplant him as starter in 1986, and be named the full-time starter in 1987. That was where I first saw him. He, along with a stingy defence, would lead the Eagles to the NFC East championship in 1988. By the end of the decade, Cunningham was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and the premiere rushing quarterback.

Rodney Peete would lead his USC Trojans to two straight Rose Bowl appearances, and enter the NFL with the Detroit Lions in 1989. He would also have a solid career as a starter, running the Lions’ Silver Streak offence, and playing with various teams until 2004.

Randall Cunningham played
for Philadelphia in the 1980s.
Source: https://www.profootballhistory.com
/randall-cunningham/
(May be subject to copyright)

Don McPherson starred at Syracuse, including finishing second in Heisman Trophy balloting, then joined the Eagles in 1988. He had a decent career with seven seasons in the NFL and later the CFL.

Andre Ware was another quarterback who had a decent career in the NFL then CFL, but he made his mark in he 1980s by becoming the first black quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy in 1989. He would join Detroit in 1990, and later play for Ottawa, B.C. and Toronto where he won a Grey Cup in 1997.

That is it for black quarterbacks in the 1980s. The only others were replacement players during the 1987 strike, or players who occupied roster spots but never played. This is the complete list of black quarterbacks

Rodney Peete played
for Detroit in the 1980s.
Source: https://www.profootballhistory.com/
rodney-peete/
(May be subject to copyright)

in the 1980s.

Except for one – who I saved for last because of his unique place in this story.

Go north young man
Warren Moon led his Washington Huskies to an upset win in the 1978 Rose Bowl, but the only interest he had from NFL clubs was to play at another position.

Consequently, he forwent the NFL draft and joined the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL in 1978. He played with Edmonton for six seasons, helping the Eskimos win five straight Grey Cups, from 1978 to 1982.

He announced 1983 would be his last season in Edmonton. He was a free agent at the end of the season. He garnered so much interest from NFL clubs, teams in need of a quarterback were referred to by broadcasters as in the running for the Warren Moon sweepstakes.

Interesting how he had to prove himself in another league before the NFL showed any interest.

The Houston Oilers won the Warren Moon sweepstakes. He joined the club in 1984 and would lead the club to seven straight playoff appearances starting in 1987. Moon showed his gratitude to the CFL in that 1987 playoff game, by having “Canada” stenciled over his face mask on his helmet.

He would go on to play until the 2000 season, and was inducted in both the CFL and NFL Halls of Fame.

Interestingly, he was part of history in 1981 that largely went unnoticed, because no one in the States was paying attention and no one in Canada thought it was a big deal.

1981 was the first Grey Cup, and the first professional football championship in history, that saw black quarterbacks starting for both teams. Warren Moon led his Eskimos against J.C. Watts and his Ottawa Rough Riders. In fact, it happened again the next year when Moon played Condredge Holloway of the Toronto Argonauts. And the year after that, Holloway started against Roy Dewalt of the B.C. Lions.

Colour blind
I am not going to go through the black quarterbacks who played in the CFL in the 1980s, because there are just so many. A partial list includes Roy Dewalt, Warren Moon, Damon Allen, Tracy Ham, Bernard Quarles, Terrence Jones, Danny Barrett, Homer Jordan, J.C. Watts, Chris Isaac, Peter Gales, Turner Gill, Joe Adams, Condredge Holloway, Reggie Collier, Walter Lewis and Brian Ransom.

Many of these men were all-stars, rookies of the year, and Grey Cup champions.

The CFL really was colour blind.

Study
Beyond the plight of the black quarterback, the subject of racism has always fascinated me. In the summer of 1989, at the University of Alberta, I enrolled in Anthropology 250 – Race and Racism. I had to do a presentation with a classmate named Rob Bourbonnais, and chose the black quarterback as my subject.

What was very telling was the reaction of my class of about 15. None were football fans, so all of them just could not believe the level of discrimination and racism this whole issue embodies.

That just further proved how systemic the problem was in the NFL.

Parting thoughts
While doing research for this, I found a list on Wikipedia entitled, “List of black starting NFL quarterbacks”. That is so telling of this whole issue, because there would never be a list of white starting NFL quarterbacks. I further discovered how many black quarterbacks came to Canada because the NFL teams that selected them wanted them to play other positions.

It shows we are still talking about this.

We have come a long way from the 1980s, when there were a few rare black quarterbacks in the NFL. When, if they wanted to play quarterback, their best chance was in the CFL.

It is also illustrates the difference between Canada and the United States. Two black starting quarterbacks faced each other in the Grey Cup championship in Canada in 1981. It took another 42 years, for Patrick Mahomes Junior to face Jalen Hurts in the 2023 Super Bowl.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar: Class and dignity

Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with one of his patented hook shots.
Source: https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-kareem-abdul-jabbar
(May be subject to copyright)

He was this tall lanky presence that just seemed to keep scoring. He would hurt you with that amazing hook shot or a straight up slam dunk. Being more than seven feet tall, it really did not seem like he was getting that far off the floor when he spotted up for a jump shot or dunked the ball.

Yet, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was an amazing player, and a prolific scorer.

He held the record for most points, until a few weeks ago, and was there to celebrate with LeBron James when he broke Kareem’s record.

When I saw Kareem hand the ball to LeBron, almost as if a crown or a torch was being passed, all I could think was – I sure wish I had seen him play more than once.

Unfortunately, growing up on a farm in the 1980s, peasant vision didn’t carry professional basketball, so I was left to learn about Kareem and his amazing and odd history, in other ways.

Phenom
When I first heard about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he was starring at centre for the Los Angeles Lakers. I started to play mini-basketball in Grade 5, and wanted to learn more about the game. I think it was my Grade 5 teacher, Mr. Phil Peard, who suggested I check out the library.

The school library was the centre of my existence as a boy, until I started buying sports magazines. It was there I first saw a picture of what looked like Kareem. However, this guy was referred to as Lew Alcindor, and he played for the Milwaukee Bucks not the Lakers. Who is that? What's going on?

This Lew Alcindor had been a dominant player in high school in New York, then moved on to play college basketball for the UCLA Bruins and legendary coach John Wooden, where they won several national championships.

Back then, the first selection in the NBA draft of college players was determined by a coin toss. The Bucks had finished with one of the worst records in the league, and won that coin toss, so they selected Lew Alcindor.

He had an immediate impact and led the Bucks to an NBA championship.

All of that was pre-history for me, mostly from an issue of Basketball Digest I bought at the Club Cigar Store, the premiere magazine shop in Lethbridge.

What’s in a Name?
Eventually Lew Alcindor found Islam and changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He then changed teams, signing as a free agent with the Lakers, where he would play the rest of his career. That made sense, if he played his college ball there.

He would go on to lead the Lakers to several NBA titles – 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. When L.A. drafted Earvin “Magic” Johnson in 1980, they formed a potent one-two combination that was exciting, and kept the wins coming. It was “show time” in L.A.

Through it all, Kareem kept scoring. He was closing in on what seemed to be an impossible dream – Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time scoring record.

Not only did he catch Wilt, he far surpassed him, establishing his own record of 38,387 points, 6,968 points ahead of Wilt. When Kareem retired in 1989, it seemed, yet again to be an unbreakable record.

Until February 7, 2023 when LeBron did the impossible again.

On that night Kareem did something Wilt did not, he was there to watch his record be broken.

As always, Kareem carried himself with class.

Peasant vision
Through all of that, I saw very little of Kareem playing basketball. Sure, I saw him in highlights on the sports news on Channel 7 and Channel 13. That’s where I saw his patented hook shot.

Because neither of those channels, or CBC Channel 9, carried basketball games, I had to rely on someone in town who had cable TV. I don’t recall ever seeing the Lakers play.

What I do remember was Mr. Peard becoming our basketball coach in Grade 8, and he wanted to instil a culture of basketball. One of the things he offered was for us to watch college and pro basketball games. So, if memory serves, it was on a VCR tape in the staff room at St. Joseph’s School in Coaldale, in late 1982 or early 1983, that I saw a few minutes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Los Angeles Lakers.

I sure wish I could have seen more.

You oughta be in pictures
Even while he was still playing, Kareem tried his hand at acting. I think I saw him more as an actor than a ball player.

The first time was in a commercial for a Bruce Lee movie, where Kareem was getting manhandled by the martial arts master. The second time was as a nervous version of himself, pretending desperately not to be himself, in the spoof “Airplane”. Years later, I would see him again as a sort of prophet in the TV mini-series “The Stand”.

Yes, coach
There is one other cool memory of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in his days as Lew Alcindor.

I had come to not only like, but admire, Jack Donahue, the head coach of the Canadian Men’s Basketball team. He was able to get the most out of his players, and gave the traditional basketball powers, namely the United States and the Soviet Union, all they could handle.

Listening to him talk was a study in contrast. He sounded anything but Canadian. Instead, he had this New York accent and personality that was as flamboyant as his players were laid back.

It turns out, he was from New York.

His claim to fame to that point was that he coached Lew Alcindor in high school.

So, he really had coached the best as well.

Parting thoughts
He was one of the first professional athletes everyone knew by one name – Kareem. He was already a dominant player as the 1980s opened, and just cemented his legacy with championships and the all-time scoring record.

Yet, what I will remember more than anything about Kareem, beyond those goggles, that hook shot, and that seven-foot frame, was his class and dignity.

He was a true gentleman.

Even 38 years later, when his unbreakable record was broken, not only did he show up to pass the mantle, but he did it with class.

As only Kareem could.