.

there. a

North Shore News

- Now that the old. profesor. no longer works for
Ottawa. Rough Riders, how long will it be until:-the

kindly brewmeister i in. Toronto gives | him’ a job?

if the brewmeister. has. ae

sense. of ” history — and : occa- |

sion, Frank: Clair. should be

the next general: manager. of -
‘the Toronto Argonauts. : After —

all, when the Argos last. won
the: Grey. Cup;-Clair was the
teaching chap: who took them -

‘In the. 26 year’ since that
1952. national title, the Argos ©
have been. to .the Grey Cup ©
-finalonce. --.in 1971; when...
they-lost, 14-11, to Calgary at.
‘Empire. Stadium. Leo Cahill,
the. coach,. was fired a year -
later, then given: another -
chance in 1977. He was fired ©
for a second time, halfway
through the season just .
ended. oe a

“So, there i isa precedent for
re-hiring someone out of the
club’s past. And, . unlike’
Cahill,

‘keeps flashing those. magic
_ letters: S- U-C-C- E-S- S.

Now that Carling-O” Keefe,
the beer people, have bought -.
Bill Hodgson’s 60 per.cent of.
the Argos, to go along with
the 40 per cent, they. already -
owned, no doubt they will
make changes . at the top.

This is the normal procedure | .

when inheriting a last. place
“team. :

CLAIR TOPS

Clair should be the leading
candidate. —

coach through 1969 | and
" general manager in the nine
years. since then, he missed
the playoffs only once. As —
coach he took the Rough
Riders to four Grey Cup

finals and won three of them.

As general manager he was_
there twice more, both of.
them winning efforts.

So, why would’ the Riders
drop a guy. who has done_
such a great job for more -

than two decades? They ':
didn’t drop him, exactly.
They tried to kick him™’

upstairs and Frank wouldn’t |
go. In the subsequent part-
~ ing, it’s not yet quite clear if
he was fired or if he quit.

But that’s a mere detail.
He is gone and an Ottawa.
lawyer who happens to be a

longtime Rough Riders direc- |

tor and cheerleader, Jake
Dunlap, is the new g.m, ~

EGO TRIPPING

Dunlap keeps saying he
has a law practice to look
after and that he has no
desire to be a career p.m. Yet
it was his appointment to this
job that led to Clair’s
departure, From this dis-
tance it looks as if Jake is on
an ego trip; that he thinks he
can do a better job than
Clair.

Frank wanted two more
years as g.m. This would
have taken him to his 60th
year, at which time he

. natural.

‘Clair has. a proven ,
longterm track record that -

“looking
’ football: He has none of the
jut-jawed dynamism that :
seems to be the hallmark of |
football coalches and. execu- ©
‘tives. He's so low-keyed, one |
wonders at time if he’s really ~—
| . . awake and taking notice.
In 22 years at Ottawa -- as |

planned. to. retire.” If his “age a
and his plan to make the next
~ two seasons his. swan. song...
‘were. the reasons for. ‘moving
him to a lesser position, ‘they...
why hire. Dunlap as. is io

replacement? _

He's about, the’ same age -
-.as Frank .and- by. his own |
admission: he’ has .no . long-"
‘term plans for the job. If he’s
to groom | someone. -
younger for the ‘position, why
-him?.;.Why ‘not. Clair, who

-there

~ knows: all the ropes? George

Brancato, the’ team’s head

~ goach ‘for the last five’ years,
would like to move-up. He

‘and Clair ‘have an excellent.
It ‘seemed. a!
. “the finest.

relationship.

) Football . -is ‘full, of crazy, »
‘bounces: and: none crazier _
‘than this. The most success--
ful professional i in the Cana- —

dian game is out of -a job,

replaced by.an amateur, a.
~ guy. who makes his living‘as a —-
~-Jawyer and gets his: kicks --
from emceeing ‘sportsmen’ Ss”
dinners from, -one. end ‘of.

Canada . ‘the: other:
‘Strange, wot? a
SUCCESS STORY

‘success — story

He certainly i is. Recruiting

-may be his long: suit. In all.

those years at Ottawa he had
eran his style to one of the

somed -
CFL’ s greatest stars.

© Perhaps - ‘the best known :
"was a quarterback from little. .

Wittenburg | College : -in- the

state of Ohio,” his. ‘favorite:
<: hunting ground. ‘He eventu-
ally -had-to make..a:: choice —
between this man. and. Russ |
Jackson and that’s. chow. Ron .
Lancaster moved" on: to
Regina.

JACKSON THE BEST -

cr any one | ‘player,. ; more :
than all. the others, | helped
establish | his: reputation as a
-winning coach, ‘Jackson was
that'man. Not only’.was he |
home: grown ;
. quarterback © the .Canadian |
game has known,’ ‘he was: one _
‘of the very best, ‘Canadian or

import. .

The Riders were a conten- a
der i in every one of ‘his: dozen.’
seasons 'as the field boss. So, -
‘while he helped ‘make Clair --
look. good, Frank® ‘correctly Oe
assessed the: potential when ay.
‘Jackson
* McMaster University oe
‘Hamilton. And he manceuv.

“was still:

Lions’
~ Crowe,
quarterback from a small °
_ Canadian” university’ wasn’t

 peally the answer’ to: their |
smaller + budgets i in. 1 the CEL. so
7 But: ‘he-was" forever. coming
"up: with: unknown, » bargain «
basement. imports - who. blos-
into . some: of. the:

to. “make

“Herb Capozzi _ and

decided | that a

problems.: ‘Instead, they

chose a fine full. back from
Bill |
Britton. Ottawa then quickly

Western ” Ontario,

claimed d'fackson.

That fateful choice by the

4 Lions has - provided much
‘what- might-have-been’ Spe-

culation’ over the © years. —
Britton played four seasons
and now:
Calgary. Had ~ they

teams they had at that time, |

they ‘might have got him -
. killed. He’d have been. the
unknowr Canadian quarter- oo

back. So es

7 Ana how would Clair have:
done in Ottawa? ‘Much the

same: probably. Instead of
trading’ Lancaster. to. Regina,

he'd have.had him winning

Grey Cups in the nation’s
capital.

red to. get him in the mY ee

Canadian college draft.

‘The story is. worth. telling
out here on the. Pacific shore,

for there was a very definite ”
Because. -
they finished. last overall ‘in.

Vancouver angle.

Canada in’ 1957,' ‘the Lions
had: first choice i in the draft.

“LIONS MISSED OUT.

“Toronto and Calgary were

next and Ottawa fourth. The
Riders pieced off the Argos

“Ski reports for Whistler
mountain are available on. a

24 hour .basis according to §

Garibaldi Lifts: Ltd.

~The ski report number,
687-6761, operates 24 hours. —

per day and ‘gives: informat-

ion on hours of operation, —
_ ticket prices and up to date

ski conditions including tem-

perature, winds, new. snow |
‘depth, total snow depth and

cloud c cover.

neve

Aheir Oy

“ihe:
then” coach, ‘Clem

is a. lawyer in.
taken -

‘Jackson? With the kind of . 30:h at 7:00 a.m.

He's a canny ore.
The. Argos - shouldn't - pass.
him up. :

and ‘Stampeders. in one. way a.
- or. another - moved’ :.up:! to -
second.” “Then. they” crossed —
_ . their fingers: and waited for’ -
the’ Lions"
choice.

Sunday. ‘December, 30h. is
your day ro’ go cross. country:

skiing in Manning Park!

. “The” West.
Recreation Centre

Park” this” winter. The
rip is Sunday. December | °
30:h © with 2: suecessive .

excursions on.
and March 28.1979.

Cost of the rip is: $10. 00
re:urn:. for. bus only

Yaneouer |
is: spon 3
‘Soring a charter ski bus for’.
hree day trips: lo “Manning ~~
first -)-

J anuary. 281 he:

and a

for mat ion: : “all

$16.00 for the day: for those ~—-

who wish a half
as well, All money’ for
‘rip must be in by December
a’ 8:00

p.m. pena

_ should bring their own, Junch.

“in.

Anyone wishing | more

=1§ friends. and patrons . a

a Merry | Christmas, . and
; A look forward to: seeing
1 youi in the New Year. .

“ : [Now Available.
. | Courtesy cars

Just behind Northndge’
lot on 1 Manne Drve-

ae i
Halt

day Iesson | |
thes

returning -

: CARL and the staft. ats

4 1 77 Marine Drive, N. Vancouver

x

the
Recreation

Vancouver

- SAFE DRIVING
1s ISA FAMILY AFFAIR

980-6511

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