Sam Etcheverry

NFL player


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DateOfBirth=birth date and age|1930|5|20
Birthplace= Carlsbad, New Mexico, U.S.
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Position=Quarterback
College=University of Denver
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Career Highlights=Y
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Awards=1954 CFL MOP 1954 Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy 1958 Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy
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years=1952-1960 1961-1962
teams=Montreal Alouettes (CFL) St. Louis Cardinals (NFL)
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Sam "The Rifle" Etcheverry (born May 20, 1930 in Carlsbad, New Mexico) is a former professional American and Canadian football player and head coach. Etcheverry played the quarterback position, most famously with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, and was named that league's Most Outstanding Player in 1954. Etcheverry's jersey #92 is one of seven retired by the Alouettes.cite web | url = http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2005/06/22/pringle050622.html| accessdate = 2007-08-02 | author = | title = Pringle's No. 27 retired by Als | publisher = CBC.ca | date = 2005-07-02]

Etcheverry is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and in 2006, was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players (#26) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.cite web | url = http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/feature/?fid=10865 | accessdate = 2007-08-02 | author = | title = TSN Top 50 CFL Players | publisher = TSN.ca | date = 2006-11-28]

College career

Known as "The Rifle", Etcheverry played for the University of Denver from 1949 to 1951 where he still holds most of the Pioneers' football records for passing offense.

Professional football career

In 1952, Etcheverry joined the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. As his team's quarterback, he was twice voted "Most Outstanding Player" of the CFL's East Division and was named a CFL East Division All-Star six times (1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960). In 1954, Etcheverry was awarded the CFL's Outstanding Player Award.

Etcheverry set a single-game passing record of 586 yards in 1954 that stood for 39 years until 1993. He also set a season passing record in 1954 of 3,610 yards that was not only a CFL record but eclipsed the NFL record set in 1947 by Pro Football Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh of the Washington Redskins. Etcheverry still holds the record for most passing yards in a Grey Cup game with 508 set in a loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in the 1955 game.

A sports icon in the city of Montreal, Quebec, when Etcheverry and star receiver Hal Patterson were traded to the last-place Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1960, it caused an enormous public outcry and led to Etcheverry leaving the Canadian Football League and signing with the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League, playing for St. Louis during 1961-62.

Coaching career

Etcheverry returned to Canada to coach the Alouettes in 1970, leading them to victory in that year's Grey Cup championship game.

Awards and honours

Etcheverry was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1969 and was an inaugural inductee into the University of Denver Athletics Hall of Fame upon its formation in 1996.

In November, 2006, Etcheverry was chosen 26th amongst the CFL's 50 Greatest Players in a TSN poll.cite web | url = http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/feature/?fid=10865 | accessdate = 2007-08-02 | author = | title = TSN Top 50 CFL Players | publisher = TSN.ca | date = 2006-11-28]

References

External links

* [http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=page&id=65 Sam Etcheverry at CFL Legends]
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0002659 The Canadian Encyclopedia]