SpeedFlex27

Washington was a helluva back. Had at least one thousand yards season. He & Steve Beaird were pretty damned good. Throw in Richard Crump subbing in & that was a great backfield Dieter Brock had to work with.

I would say looking back all those years that Lirim would probably admit he didn't handle the situation like he would today so he contributed to what happened after. He wasn't the pro he is now.

Okay, back to the countdown. The first player is someone I discussed on the interesting nickname thread... Dave Raimey. Gord Rowland Paul Bennett

I'm embarrassed to say that I was totally wrong. I was describing the Double Wing offense & not the Wing T. It's been 20 years, sorry. Double Wing: No splits on the LOS. Super tight formation. You can see where the FB lines up right behind the QB. No way the Bombers ran this. Wing T: Like the Double Wing based on speed & misdirection to confuse defenders. Split T: This is the base formation I remember seeing whenever the Bombers played under Grant. You can see the wider splits on the OL. This created running lanes for the backs & also spread out the defense. The T refers to the 4 "full house" backfield. Hence the name Split T. Once again, sorry for the mix up on my part. How I got the Double Wing mixed up with the Wing T & Split T is beyond me. I guess I just had my senior moment for the day,

He had all of his sacks in the first half of both seasons he played in Rider Land.

They didn't run Wing T. That's a tight, tight, TIGHT formation. The OL have no splits. The FB lines up a couple of inches behind the QB & is called "The Sniffer" ( I kid you not. That is what he was called). The backs are lined up on the hips of both TE's on the LOS half a yard behind the LOS. They are there to prevent any leakage of any defenders coming wide & tackling the ball carrier from behind. There is just one receiver on the LOS & he may be thrown at one or 2 times a game. It was used in college in the US & was successful in the 1930's & 40's. The misdirection works because defenders can't see the ball carrier. They also use a wedge where the OL all charge the centre of the DL & push forward. It's very powerful & physical offense. But totally outdated. Even in the 50's. There are usually four running backs. I won a provincial championship using that offense when I was a pee wee HC & my son was the qb. We couldn't be stopped. We KILLED everyone we played. Perfect offense for 11 & 12 year olds where the passing game is unrefined. But that was 2003. Today, you have phenoms who are 11 & can throw!! As well as performing reads & progressions. The game is changing. QB coaching is much, much better than it was when I coached. PS, I never called our fullback, "The Sniffer". I didn't want him to be embarrassed with the name. And Tyler wouldn't appreciate someone two inches behind him lining up right behind his ass. The QB was called "The Spinner" because every handoff is a reverse handoff. Even lead plays. Tyler had to learn to spin around fast & give the ball to his FB. The Bombers used a Split T offense. The OL were split on the LOS. It spread out the defense & created running lanes for the backs. Ken Ploen ran the Split T at Iowa & won a Rose Bowl in 1957. Bud Grant was going to run the Split T with the Bombers & he needed a qb who understood the offense & that is how Ploen came to Winnipeg.

The Argos had a rookie linebacker named Sam Cjivanovitch. (pronounced See-Yan-Ovich). Jack Wells just couldn't pronounce his name. He decided to call him Sam Alphabet. The name stuck. He became Sam Alphabet, middle linebacker for the Argos... across the league. Other player nicknames. Not necesssarily started by Jack Wells. : Herm "Ham Hands" Harrison. TE Stampeders 1960's. "Tricky" Dickie Thornton. "Dirty 30" Jim Young. ""Doctor Death" Dave Fennell "The Undertaker" Bill Baker Bob "Hoss" Houmard "The Little General" Ron Lancaster

Halfback Darwin "Go Go" Gonnerman.

Dave "the Knife" Raimey Dave Raimey Smack Heroin. Cec passed away in 2008, I believe. I don't know his son.

My cousin. Cec Luining. It was actually. "The mad Milkman from Selkirk". That is what Jack Wells used to call him on the radio broadcasts.

Musk will reinstate him.

Is it retired? Leo Lewis number is still active, I believe. The Bombers don't like to retire numbers.

Sad to find out one of my favourite players has died. Flanker Bob Larose had passed away three weeks ago. Great player as I remember.

Tight End Paul Markle #28

Wylie Turner #28,

Hughes hasn't fit in anywhere since he left the Stamps. Every year since his production dropped.

Some guys just don't know when to hang it up. He was a great player in his prime but now he's just a hanger on. He totally disappeared in Toronto last year.

Safety Brian Herosian #30.

His CFL Rookie Card said that Gene Lakusiak was American. That was incorrect. Lakusiak was born in Rossdale, MB in 1942 but his family moved to Sarnia, Ontario where he grew up. He was a multi sport athlete in high school & was recruited by the University of Tulsa as a fullback & kicker. Lakusiak was drafted by the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1967 but played only 2 games for them. He was traded to the Blue Bombers in 1968 & converted to Defensive Back where he played from 1968 to 74. He was a two time Western Conference All Star in 1972 & 73. After his playing days for the Bombers were over, he taught in the Winnipeg School Division & spent the last 18 years of his career at Tec Voc. He remained in Winnipeg after his retirement from teaching. He passed away in 2020 at the age of 78.

Too bad about a quarter of them won't load. There'd be even more. I found some rare Bomber players & can't add them.

That enhanced photo looks like 1960's sci fi special effects to me.

Not every player signed new deals for less money. Other than having contracts pro rated to 14 games not everyone took an actual pay cut

The teams could have sent all the players to homeless shelters & they wouldn't have had to pay for food & a bed.

Nature of the position. DL is reactive to the play. OL is proactive with blocking assignments & chemistry. Switching guys in & out messes with that as well as timing on offensive plays. There's a reason why no one does subbing on the OL anywhere. I don't think it'd work out that well.

In closure, Jonas lived full time in Winnipeg. When the 1974 season ended Jonas returned here. He was disappointed the way things worked out with the Bombers & didn't want to play another season with the Ti Cats so he retired. He & his wife decided to return to Orlando, Fla. Before he left a huge farewell dinner was held in their honour. Everyone in Winnipeg who was someone attended. Federal, provincial & civic politicians, media, sports figures like Bobby Hull, fans & local business people were all there to say goodbye. All except the Bomber coaches & management. They were all invited but they never came.