Milt Stegall, the svelte, smiling slotback who has scored more
touchdowns than anyone else in the entire history of the Canadian
Football League, announced his retirement from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
this morning.
The club immediately announced that he’ll go into the team’s Hall of
Fame later this year.
"It
wasn’t a tough decision," said Stegall, dressed in a sharp-looking dark
suit with a blue shirt and gold tie and accompanied by his wife Darlene
and two young sons.
"Basically, before (last season), especially after I had the (knee)
surgery, we decided that it was going to be my final season. It’s been a
great run -- 17 years professionally, 14 years in the CFL with the Blue
Bombers.
"I have two regrets in my football career and one of them is that I
wished my sons were older," Stegall added. "Of course Chase has seen me
play but I don’t know how much he’ll remember."
Stegall, ever the joker, said he hoped it didn’t hurt anyone, but his
son Chase’s two favourite players are both now former Bombers -- running
back Charlie Roberts and defensive end Tom Canada.
|
Milt Stegall |
|
Miami (OH) |
|
|
|
Receiving |
|
|
|
|
Yr |
Team |
C |
Yds |
Avg |
Lg |
TD |
|
1995 |
Wpg |
25 |
469 |
18.8 |
51 |
4 |
|
1996 |
Wpg |
34 |
613 |
18.0 |
53 |
6 |
|
1997 |
Wpg |
61 |
1,616 |
26.5 |
106 |
14 |
|
1998 |
Wpg |
32 |
403 |
12.6 |
62 |
6 |
|
1999 |
Wpg |
73 |
1,193 |
16.3 |
99 |
6 |
|
2000 |
Wpg |
78 |
1,499 |
19.2 |
85 |
15 |
|
2001 |
Wpg |
81 |
1,214 |
15.0 |
79 |
14 |
|
2002 |
Wpg |
105 |
1,862 |
17.7 |
63 |
23 |
|
2003 |
Wpg |
68 |
1,144 |
16.8 |
73 |
15 |
|
2004 |
Wpg |
68 |
1,121 |
16.5 |
67 |
6 |
|
2005 |
Wpg |
52 |
1,184 |
22.8 |
101 |
17 |
|
2006 |
Wpg |
79 |
1,269 |
16.1 |
100 |
7 |
|
2007 |
Wpg |
69 |
1,108 |
16.1 |
49 |
8 |
|
2008 |
Wpg |
29 |
458 |
15.8 |
92 |
3 |
|
Total |
14 |
854 |
15,153 |
17.7 |
106 |
144 |
The
Cincinnati product played 14 seasons in blue and gold after being picked
up from the NFL in 1995 and scored 147 touchdowns, becoming one of the
league’s most popular and outspoken players and characters.
His bright smile and cute quips and his teasing of the media made him a
star off the field as well as on it. He dubbed himself Turtleman because
of his washboard ab muscles.
Stegall leaves the league as its most prolific receiver by yardage,
galloping for 15,165 yards on 855 catches. Last season, plagued by a
knee injury, he caught only 30 passes for 470 yards and three TDs.
Stegall’s best season was 2002 when he caught 105 passes for 1,862 yards
and 23 TDs, winning the league’s Most Outstanding Player Award.
But despite his greatness and his impact on the game -- he’ll certainly
be inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame -- Stegall never did win a Grey
Cup title.
Stegall said he’s going to stay involved in the Winnipeg community,
although he didn’t specify how, and he said he’ll be a guest TV analyst
for TSN.
It's
official: Turtle Time is over - Chris Cariou - Winnipeg Free Press -
18-02-2009