Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Anthony Calvillo’s career—a career some might argue was the best in CFL history—was his ability to persevere when the odds were stacked against him.
His 79,816 career passing yards are the most in pro football history; his 455 passing touchdowns surpass all other CFL quarterbacks; he is a three-time Grey Cup champion, a three-time CFL Most Outstanding Player. And if we’re being honest, no one could have seen it coming all those years ago.
The fact he even managed to make a life for himself playing a game he loved is rather special considering he grew up in a part of Los Angeles some don’t ever make it out of. Despite living in a rough neighborhood, the young Calvillo stayed out of trouble, finished high school and after two years at a community college found himself playing ball at Utah State.
He had a decent college career, even winning the Las Vegas Bowl in 1993, but was passed over by every NFL team. Undeterred, Calvillo jumped at the opportunity to play professionaly in 1994—even though it was for a Las Vegas-based expansion team based in a three-down, 12-man Canadian league. He attended Las Vegas Posse tryouts and beat out 12 other quarterbacks to land the starting job. While the Posse and ultimately the entire “American teams in a Canadian league” experiment failed, Calvillo did not.
After his rookie season, he was selected by the Tiger-Cats in the dispersal draft. He spent three forgettable seasons in Hamilton before joining the Alouettes and playing second fiddle to Tracy Ham in Montreal for two years. It wasn’t until his seventh pro season, his third with the Als, that he really emerged as someone who showed the potential to be great.
On paper, he was nothing special. Did he have the best arm? No, but he could find the open receiver. Was he the best athlete? No, but he could avoid untimely sacks and pick up key first downs with his legs when needed. As he evolved, Calvillo developed the ability to simply take over a game. If the Alouettes were down late, fans could rest easy when the offence was on the field, because Calvillo’s poise and precision would almost always prevail.
He won his first Grey Cup in 2002 and thrived for years under the tutelage of Don Matthews. However, even when things were going well on the field, Calvillo never stopped overcoming obstacles and displaying his honourable character in the process. When his wife, Alexia, was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, not long after giving birth to the couple’s second daughter, Calvillo took an indefinite leave of absence from the Alouettes to be with his family.
He returned to the team the next year and dedicated the 2008 campaign to Alexia, who survived after months of treatment. That year, his first under coach Marc Trestman, Calvillo had his most productive season as a pro—5,633 passing yards, 43 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions and a 69.2 completion percentage en route to his second Most Outstanding Player trophy.
His team fell short of its goal, losing to the Calgary Stampeders in the 96th Grey Cup, and it proved to be one of the best things that could have happened to Calvillo. He overcame the loss, rededicated himself to the game and, with Trestman’s help, led the Als to two consecutive Grey Cup wins in 2009 and ’10.
Following the 2010 championship run, Calvillo announced that doctors had discovered a cancerous lesion on his Thyroid earlier in the season. He had kept the diagnosis under wraps so as not to distract his teammates. Mental and emotional fortitude personified.
Luckily, like his wife before him, Calvillo overcame his cancer scare. He went on to have two more excellent 5,000-yard, 30-TD seasons before an injury-plagued final year in 2013 when he only played seven games.
To have a 20-year career as a professional football player like Calvillo did is rare. To play your best football in your late 30s while continuing to improve is even more astounding. To do so while also overcoming whatever hardships life throws at you is downright admirable.
Trestman, now the head coach of the NFL’s Chicago Bears, summed up how many Canadian football fans feel about Calvillo in a video message at the quarterback’s retirement press conference: “You represented and carried yourself in a fashion that taught your teammates and coaches how to live and how to lead. … You taught us about accountability, hard work, consistency of demeanour and loyalty. You taught us grace in victory and defeat and about transcending the locker room. … You showed us how to be mentally and physically tough as well as the true meaning of competitive greatness, that of being your best when your best was needed. … You are a true champion in every sense of the word.”
Montreal is a city that doesn’t go easy on its sports stars. If you have sup-par performances, the fans will let you know. If they don’t like you, they’ll let you know. But find an Alouettes fan with something negative to say about Calvillo. You won’t. Find a former teammate, coach, trainer, or opposing coaches and players with something negative to say about Calvillo. You won’t.
At 41, it’s not surprising or all that sad that he has retired. The CFL and its fans will move on while honouring the past, as they always do. But there’s no doubt Calvillo left an indelible mark on the league.
Trestman nailed it.
Anthony Calvillo is a true champion in every sense of the word.