Milt Stegall: More Than a Record
Aug 23, 2007
Any Winnipegger or Manitoban who pays even the slightest attention to professional sports was aware that a very special milestone was surpassed recently. On July 27, Milt Stegall, the iconic receiver for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, became the Canadian Football League’s all-time touchdown leader. As if crossing the goal line 138 times isn’t hard enough, Stegall did it as a receiver, arguably much more difficult to accomplish than as a running back.
But of course, records are made to be broken. This one was impressive by the sheer magnitude of it, but yes, ten years down the road some other player might have surpassed it if Stegall hadn’t. What really stands out, though, aside from the athleticism inherent in the accomplishment, it the way Stegall did it.
In an era of overpaid, whining, incarcerated and jaded athletes with overinflated egos and salaries, Stegall stands out as “the real thing.” His incredible talents seem to be matched only by the way in which he carries himself and lives his life. He is one athlete that can be held up as a role model to children without hesitation.
Stories of cheating and doping are plaguing virtually all major sports. Baseball and football have had numerous steroid scandals over the years. Now even golf has been implicated. Not to mention the various non-drug related criminal charges that have been levelled against other star athletes over the last number of years.
But Stegall, who’s played his entire CFL career with the same team – also an incredible rarity – has avoided any such accusations. He’s affable, funny, engaging and polite. His focus has always been on the success of the team at the expense of individual accolades. In fact, he almost seemed embarrassed at the attention that had been paid to him as he approached the record.
Winnipeg is a very passionate football city, one that has not claimed a Grey Cup championship for some 17 years now. But because of athletes like Stegall, Winnipeggers have something very worthy of being proud of. He’s ours, he’s been an incredible success over the years, and he’s done it while holding his head high and being a good person first and a great football player second.
Comments
Comments are now closed
Couldn't have been said better. I hope that he gets everything he wants out of his career...like the Grey Cup! Go Blue!
APE - 2007-08-29 19:23