THE CANADIAN PRESS
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — It’s been quite a week for Dominique Dorsey.
On Wednesday, he was named a finalist for the CFL’s outstanding special teams player. Then on Thursday, he was one of nine Toronto Argonauts voted on to the East Division all-star squad.
Heady accomplishments for a player who, four months earlier, was wondering if he was finished with professional football.
Dorsey began his CFL career with Saskatchewan two years ago, but was dealt to Winnipeg along with defensive lineman Dwan Epps on May 30 for tackle Eric Wilson. But Dorsey barely had enough time to settle in with his new team, playing in the Bombers’ two exhibition games before being released June 24.
So Dorsey returned home to California and waited for a call from another team. After a few weeks passed with no takers, the five-foot-seven, 170-pound dynamo began pondering life after football, openly wondering if his days in the CFL were over.
Fortunately, though, the Toronto Argonauts came calling and signed Dorsey on July 23. The rest is history.
"Being at home, there was nothing fun about that, nothing pretty," he said. "I had put in countless hours in the off-season training with my trainer in Las Vegas.
"It was crazy to come out and the day before training camp be traded to Winnipeg, then being released. That being said, we’re on a great run and a great stretch and still winning football games and we’d like to keep that going right into the playoffs."
Dorsey’s steady, often spectacular play on special teams, has played a big role in the Argos (10-7) being in a position to clinch first in the East Division and home-field advantage for the conference final. Dorsey has scored a CFL-best three special teams TDs this season, returning a punt, kickoff and missed field goal for scores.
In fact, the former UNLV star made quite a first impression in his Toronto debut, a 29-27 road loss to Montreal on Aug. 2. Replacing injured returner Bashir Levingston, Dorsey took an errant Damon Duval field goal 129 yards for a touchdown, tying the league record Levingston registered in the opening game of the season against B.C.
So impressive was Dorsey on special teams that the Argos released Levingston, a former winner of the CFL’s outstanding special teams award, on Aug. 30.
Despite his late start, Dorsey is third among CFL punt returners (61 for 677 yards, 11.1-yard average), fifth in kickoff returns (23 for 605 yards, league-high 25.2-yard average) and a stellar second in missed field goal returns (three for 186 yards).<.
League officials have obviously taken notice. Four times Dorsey has been named the CFL’s special teams player of the week, including a stretch of three straight weeks, marking the first time since ’84 that a player had won three consecutive weekly honours.
Then came this week’s individual highlights, all of which has humbled Dorsey.
"This is definitely really big for me," he said. "At the start of the year I couldn’t even imagine something like this happening.
"I’m very thankful the guys accepted me and have allowed me to play an important role on this team."
Dorsey has a definite fan in Argos head coach Mike (Pinball) Clemons, who knows a thing or two about playing special teams. Clemons was one of the most prolific returners in club history and last weekend was named as the special-teams player on Toronto’s All-Time team.
"Dominique is very special," Clemons said. "It is so magnificent to see a young guy who just wanted to have a job and didn’t come with demands or any kind of ego."
Dorsey will also have a shot a redemption Saturday when the Argos finish their regular season against Saskatchewan. It will mark Dorsey’s first visit to Regina since being dealt by the Roughriders.
But Toronto enters the final weekend of the regular season clinging to a one-point lead atop the East Division over second-place Winnipeg. The Argos can cement first place — and a bye to the conference final — with a Bombers loss Friday to Montreal or with a win Saturday over the Riders.
Dorsey admits initially he was upset that the Riders traded him but says time has healed that wound.
"Early in the season, I would’ve said yes (to wanting redemption) because it was so new and I wanted to show that I could still play," he said. "But now, we’re trying to win a championship, we’re in great shape and have a lot of things going for us.
"That’s where I’m at right now."
