Wayne Allison sure got a nice welcome into the Canadian Football League with the Argos in 1973.
"The first hit I ever made in the CFL was on (Hall of Fame running back) George Reed in an exhibition game," said Allison, then a rookie defensive back. "I was out like a lightbulb."
Allison survived the initiation quite well, thank you very much, and went on to have a solid six-year career with the Argos. "I was one of the hard-working serfs," said Allison. "I was never in the spotlight; I just did my job."
A graduate of Waterloo Lutheran University (which later became Wilfrid Laurier), Allison quarterbacked the team to the College Bowl game (which later became the Vanier Cup) in 1972. However, he knew he would never make the pro ranks at the pivot position, and instead tried out as a free safety.
"My forte was hitting," said Allison, who despite the initial contact with Reed, usually gave much better than he got. "The only major disappointment that I remember was when (Montreal's 'Ordinary Superstar') Johnny Rodgers beat me deep once, and that s.o.b. ran in backwards, of course."
While Allison played on some generally poor Argonaut squads that only made the playoffs once in his six-year tenure, it was usually the offence that failed to produce in clutch situations.
"When we played we had some good defensive teams, and we were tight as hell," said Allison, who also had brief stints with the Calgary Stampeders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. "It was nice to have that type of togetherness."
When his football career ended in 1979, the Sutton, Ontario native began to work full-time as a construction supervisor, building many highrises in the Toronto area during the boom period of the 1980's. It was the continuation of summer jobs he had held building houses since his youth, and even though he had a history and physical education degree from WLU, the construction business was more lucrative and offered more opportunities.
Today, those opportunities have sent him to such remote places as Africa, from where he recently returned on a lengthy business trip. Future trips with his new company will take him to Texas, Lithuania and Bosnia, as the opening of these new countries bring endless opportunities for Western developers with a lot of vision and a lot of cash.
Therefore, Allison's new nomadic lifestyle will force him to give up his title as president of the Argonaut Alumni organization, with a lot of the work falling to his former teammate, Peter Paquette.
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