My father was on the ice in 1967 the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup (Insert ALL the jokes here), has written two books, one on the history of baseball in Toronto and the definitive history of the Queen’s (now King’s) Plate and has a letter from Jackie Robinson thanking him for the interviews they had. I followed in the old man’s footsteps, albeit on a far less scale than pappy did. I bring this up because the recent draft is filled with players who also followed in their father’s footsteps.
Obviously, this occurs in every draft, but this pattern felt even more pronounced after reading about the fact that Montreal Alouettes rookie Arthur Hamlin’s grandfather, father, brother and an uncle all at one point strapped it up in the CFL. I would love to attend a Hamlin Grey Cup party.
Instead of listing every family connection related to the 2024 CFL Draft I’m going to focus on a couple impressive father/son combinations and highlight the careers of the fathers. We have many years ahead to tell the stories of the latest batch of football players entering our league so here’s a shoutout to the past.
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The new guy: DT Christian Covington
The legend: DE Grover Covington
I am cheating on including the BC Lions 2015 fifth round draft pick on this list but technically he is a CFL “rookie” it just took him longer to come to Canada after signing with the Lions following a long NFL career.
I need to know more about the details behind the 1981 trade that sent the elder Grover from the Montreal Alouettes to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats because on the surface this looks like the most lopsided that I’ve seen since Ricky Ray’s arrival in Toronto.
There is a good chance we never see anyone surpass Grover’s CFL career record of 157 sacks. Several recent players have gotten “close” including John Bowman who retired with 134 and Charleston Hughes finished his career with 132. The Hall of Famer (Class of 2000) was named East Division All-Star seven times, CFL All-Star four times and won the Grey Cup with Hamilton in 1986. Grover was fortunate to have started his career at the exact same time the league started to track quarterback stats and included it as an official statistic.
The new guy: LB Zach Philion
The “infamous” legend: DT Ed Philion
Football in all forms just doesn’t produce as many villains as it used to. The game is played a different way and called a different way and that plays a part in it. The Philion name is a familiar one for CFL fans, via defensive lineman Ed, who won the 90th Grey Cup with Montreal, was named an East Division All-Star four straight times and made countless enemies throughout the league while enraging plenty of fanbases across Canada.
His son Zach steps into a different game and at linebacker, is playing a different position. The name will still no doubt perk up ears, as he looks to carve out his own career with the Ottawa REDBLACKS, forging new relationships across the CFL.
The new guy: WR D’Sean Mimbs
The legend: Robert Mimbs
WR D’Sean Mimbs was selected by the Roughriders in the sixth round (University of Regina Athletics)
How many running backs get to have two separate dominant stretches in one professional career? Usually when you hit that downward slide you don’t get it back playing such a physical position. Robert’s CFL debut with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1990 was as impressive as it gets leading the league in both rushing (1,341 yards) and combined yards from scrimmage (1,879 yards). His follow up season was even better as he set a CFL record for scrimmage yards with 2,207. The only thing that kept him from winning the 1991 MOP was some guy named Doug Flutie.
Injuries would derail the incredible start to his career, and he sat out for the entire 1994 season. Then in 1996 as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Mimbs pushed back the clock and for the third time in his career he led the league in rushing. When healthy Mimbs was as talented a running back as any, being named CFL All-Star three times in his eight-year career.
The new guy: DB Kaylyn St-Cyr
The legend: Irvin Smith
Irvin’s career was a geographical wonder starting with college in Southern Mississippi to bouncing around several NFL training camps, growing as a player with the London Monarchs before finding a permanent home in the CFL on both sides of the border. Smith was a part of the Baltimore Colts/Stallions/Football Club that both lost the Grey Cup in 1994 and won it all in 1995. Smith’s all-star level of play continued when the team relocated to Montreal in 1996.
The new guy: LB Mitchell Townsend
The legend: Walt Bilicki
Let’s end with a son/grandfather connection! I would have listed Bilicki’s specific position, but the former Winnipeg Blue Bomber saw time on both the offensive line and at linebacker. Not too many current players who spend most of their time at centre while also collecting the odd interception. Townsend’s grandfather won two Grey Cups with Winnipeg (1958 and 1959) and a third one with the BC Lions in 1964.