Tim Petros: Home grown talent

Tim Petros in action with the Calgary Stampeders.

Source: https://nickssteakandpizza.com/our-culture/tim-petros-award/

(May be subject to copyright)

He was a tough runningback who played for his hometown team, but his contributions to the Calgary Stampeders ran far deeper than yards, blocks, and touchdowns.

Tim Petros played an important part in saving the Calgary Stampeders from extinction in 1985, to go along with the six years he put in on the field for the club.

Tim Petros came to mind earlier this week when I heard his dad Nick Petros had died.

I wondered why, in all the retrospectives, no one interviewed Tim Petros. Then I discovered, or maybe re-discovered, that Tim Petros himself died three years ago.

In the beginning
Tim Petros never played football anywhere else but Calgary. He played high school football at John George Diefenbaker High School, then stayed in the city and suited up for the University of Calgary Dinosaurs. The highlight of his university career was running for 260 yards, a Vanier Cup record, in the national football championship game in 1983 against the Queen’s Golden Gaels. For his efforts, he was named the game’s most valuable leader after leading the Dinos to a 31-21 victory to win the school’s first national championship.

Petros final numbers at the University of Calgary from 1979 to 1983 were 458 carries for 2,791 yards and 120 receptions for 2,791 yards.

Turning pro
Petros was selected in the fifth round of the 1983 Canadian Football League Draft by his home town Calgary Stampeders, and suited up for the club from 1984 to 1990.

In his 1984 rookie season, Tim Petros appeared in 16 games, rushing for 71 yards on 22 carries and catching 10 passes for 83 yards. In 1985, he dressed for all 16 games, carrying the ball once for two yards and caught no passes.

In 1986, after helping the Save Our Stamps campaign, he played a much larger role in the offence. Again appearing in all 16 games, he rushed for 348 yards on 74 carries, and had 23 receptions for 172 yards.

His production continued to improve over the next two seasons. In 1987, he ran for 467 yards and five touchdowns on 95 carries and caught 34 passes for 260 yards in 16 games.

His best season was 1988, when he led the Stampeders with 737 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on 161 carries, as well as 49 receptions for 304 yards in 18 games.

Petros rounded out the decade in 1989, appearing in 17 games, rushing for 605 yards and four touchdowns on 133 carries, and caught 25 passes for 188 yards.

He would play in one game in the 1990 season before retiring, carrying the ball twice.

In total, he would play in 100 games, rushing for 2,228 yards and 18 touchdowns, while having 141 receptions for 1,007 yards.

Parting thoughts
One of the more crass comments during the crisis that almost claimed the Stampeders in 1985 came from a reporter from Edmonton, I am sure, who said the Stamps were so short of cash, some of the players were lucky they could eat at the restaurant owned by the dad of one of the players.

That was obviously Tim Petros, because his dad had a restaurant right across from McMahon Stadium in Calgary. I think that just shows what the Petros family always seemed to be about, helping others and giving back to the community.

Tim Petros would go on to be a business owner, coach, and community leader. When he died, the accolades poured in, describing a good football player, but an even better person.

The family also established an award in his memory for runningbacks at the University of Calgary who exhibit the same qualities and passion for football that Tim Petros did.

What more can you say.