While Toronto may have the appearances of being a trend-setting city today, it was well-known for its conservative image for the better part of the century. This was particularly true when it came to football and the Argonauts, who were the last team in the CFL to use imports.
The year they finally went against the all-Canadian set-up was in 1950, a good 15 years after American superstar Fritz Hanson and others helped the Winnipeg Blue Bombers claim the Grey Cup. Despite other teams using imports, the Argo strategy was still successful, as they won five Grey Cups in a 10-year period (1937-47). However, in 1948 and '49, the team finished in last place, and under new president Bob Moran and new coach Frank Clair, the strategy changed.
Among the seven imports that were recruited in 1950 was big tackle John Kerns, who also served as an assistant coach with the team. Along with other recruits such as Al Dekdebrun and Ulysses "Crazy Legs" Curtis, the Argos found Grey Cup success again, winning 13-0 over Winnipeg in the famed 1950 Mud Bowl. The team repeated the success two years later with a 21-11 win over Edmonton, but then went into a long tailspin.
But Kerns was long gone by then, having made a successful transition into the insurance business after the 1953 season. While his time in Toronto was short, it was full of fine memories. Originally from the Buffalo Bills of the old All-America Conference, which had folded, Kerns played his first game as an Argo against Hamilton, where he lined up against former Buffalo teammates Vince Mazza and Jack Carpenter.
"I'm thinking the same thing you are, buddy," said Kerns to Carpenter after the game. "If I pull anything (dirty), it'll be in the last game, not the first."
But Kerns was often in the thick of any dirty play, dishing out his share and getting some in return.
"It's not a deliberate thing - you just get kicked a lot in the shins," said Kerns. "In my first year with the Argos, I'd go home after a game or scrimmage and my oldest daughter - she was about three at the time - would notice this big blue welt on my shinbone and she'd say, 'Oh, daddy, what happened?'"
Well, Kerns had a built-in excuse, which evolved into a humourous anecdote he shared with Gord Walker.
"Now, I played right tackle and Shanty McKenzie played beside me at right guard, so just to avoid long-winded explanations, Id tell her that Shanty McKenzie kicked me," said Kerns to Walker. "And all that season, when she'd see my shins, I'd tell her that Shanty McKenzie kicked me... Well, the next year, I moved my family up here to live in Toronto, and one day I took my wife and little girl down to practice. When it was over, Shanty came across the field to say hello and I introduced him to my daughter. I said, 'I'd like you to meet Shanty McKenzie'. My daughter looked at him and said, 'I don't like you, you kicked my daddy!' And Shanty, not knowing what it was all about, had the funniest little expression on his face."
A nice way to end another week of Ancient Mariners.
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