He may have been called the "Mad Canadian" at Iowa University, but on the Argo teams of the early 1970's, Peter Paquette was actually one of the more sane individuals. Off the field, anyway.
"The coaching ranks spent a disproportionate amount of time trying to rescue players from women hiding in their shower stalls," said Paquette, proclaiming his own innocence, since he was newly married at the time.
On the field, though, Paquette may well have been mad, or brave, depending on your outlook. That's because he was the designated punt returner back in the waning days of the "no blocking on punts" rule, which from a modern perspective looks like cruel medieval punishment.
"The key was to take on the lead tackler, but unfortunately, many of them were the back-up linebackers, and they were the craziest of them all," said Paquette, who led the team in 1971 with 445 yards on 67 returns. "With blocking today, most of the returners are faster guys. In our time, they wanted someone who wouldn't drop the ball."
It's not that Paquette was one of the slower players on the field, either. After playing with the Montreal Alouettes in 1968 and '69, the native of Iroquois Falls, Ontario sat out the 1970 season and moved to Toronto, where he approached then coach Leo Cahill about an opportunity to make the Argos as a defensive back.
"Our d.b.'s were fast, and (Cahill) said if I can run the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds, I can make the team," said Paquette. "I knew that when I was returning back punts in the last pre-season game, I had made the team."
That 1971 team, which made it to the Grey Cup final, was the toast of the town.
"In Toronto, when you went into a bar, everyone wanted to buy you a drink," said Paquette. "In '71 and '72, you felt like a movie star, and people began to bother you with the recognition."
Paquette's career with the Argos ended after the 1973 season, and he subsequently moved full-time into the insurance business with Aetna Canada, where he had started in sales while in Montreal. He moved into the company's human resources department in Toronto, and has stayed in the business ever since in different capacities. Currently, he is an independent financial planner working for Equinox in Etobicoke, where he is specializing in retirement planning.
Paquette is also a new father again, as his second wife Elizabeth gave birth to their son Vincent last year. Paquette also has a son from a previous marriage, 26 year-old Scott.
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