JIM KARDASH (1986-92)

On the football field, Jim Kardash loved to be hated. Of course, playing for the University of Western Ontario Mustangs and the Toronto Argonauts, the two most reviled teams among their competitors in their respective leagues, he had a lot of practice. Now, as a senior football coach at Brampton Centennial High School, he wants to be a member of another team that aggravates their opponents that little bit extra.

"I would hope so," said Kardash, who also teaches science and physical education at the school. An attitude like that may not sound very positive, but it is rooted in respect. Teams that are hated are usually very successful, and hence the animosity. The New York Yankees, Montreal Canadiens and Dallas Cowboys, the most historically successful franchises in their respective sports, carry strong emotions of either adulation or revulsion, while also-rans like the Hartford Whalers, Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Falcons tend to be ignored, if anything else.

While the Centennial squad may have been ignored in the past, that changed last autumn. After an 0-6 1994 season, Kardash helped turn the program around as it went from winless to undefeated in 1995, winning the Peel region championship before losing to Mayfield in the Metro Bowl playoffs.

Some parallels could be drawn between Kardash's high school team of last year and the Argonaut squad of 1987, one of the highlights of his seven-year stay as a member of the offensive line. "We were a young group of kids full of piss and vinegar," said Kardash. "We rallied and grew together, and from '87 to '91, we were virtually the same group of people."

While the '87 team tasted success, upsetting an award-laden Winnipeg team in the Eastern final to make it to the Grey Cup, the '91 team finally won it in bone-chilling weather in the Manitoba capital, defeating the Calgary Stampeders 36-21. Looking back, Kardash remembers the path there more than the final result.

"What I miss most is the guys, sitting around and 'BS-ing' in the locker room," said Kardash. "And to a certain extent, you miss game day, that rush of adrenaline that you get."

But for now, the rushes of adrenaline will have to be limited to the coaching ranks, as well as looking after his growing family of wife Diane, who should give birth to their second child any day now, and son Spencer.


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