By François Ferland
MontrealAlouettes.com
Sherbrooke – On the sixth day of training camp this past Friday, Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo was finally seen in his true light, moving fluidly while completing precise passes, and smiling contentedly upon returning to the team’s temporary locker room located on the campus of Bishop’s University.
The veteran quarterback, who had been inactive over the opening days of camp due to a nagging calf injury, was obviously thrilled to finally be back in action, practically singing his words during a post-practice interview. “I feel a lot better,” exclaimed Calvillo. “My entire body is in harmony, and it finally feels good to be at camp.”
At the age of 38, AC, as he’s known by his teammates, is preparing himself for his 18th season in the CFL, his 14th with Montreal. While it’s one thing to see an athlete still harbour a passion for the game after so many seasons, it’s something else entirely when one takes into account the health scares that the Calvillo family has had to face over the past few years.
“When the time comes to move on to other things, it will be obvious,” said the back-to-back Grey Cup champion. “Right now however, I still love everything about what I do for a living, including being at training camp.”
Records within reach
Still, where does Calvillo find the motivation necessary to continue pursuing a career that’s already well-steeped in success? Could one potential source stem from the fact that he is currently knocking on the door of a number of league records originally established by Damon Allen over a 23 season career (1985 to 2007) of the latter’s own?
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Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo. |
The records in question are as follows:
-Total career passing yards
-Allen: 72 381 yards
-Calvillo: 68 161 yards
-A difference of 4 220 yards
-Total career touchdown passes
-Allen: 394
-Calvillo: 386
-A difference of 8 touchdown passes
-Total career passes completed
-Allen: 5 158
-Calvillo: 5 040
-A difference of 118 passes completed
-Total career pass attempts
-Allen: 9 138
-Calvillo: 8 032
-A difference of 1 106 pass attempts
“It would be selfish of me and disrespectful towards my teammates if I continued playing solely to beat individual records that happen to be in reach,” countered Calvillo. “Winning another championship, that’s what keeps me motivated. Our last two seasons were amazing, and I’m ready to do it again.”
“Having said that however, the most important record in my eyes is that of total career passing yards, just because of the amount of work that that record represents. Nevertheless, I won’t be paying it much attention, especially given all of the unexpected variables that can come into play over the course of a season.”
Enjoying Montreal
If one thing remains clear in Calvillo’s mind, it’s that he plans to remain in Montreal once his career is over. “It’s clear to both myself and my wife, that barring any exceptional circumstances, we’d like to stay in the city. What I’d like to do most following my football career is to work as an ambassador for the Alouettes, and to work with youth.”
An attentive father (he has two daughters) and young at heart, Anthony Calvillo would surely be an asset for any youth organization in Quebec. In the meantime however, the Alouettes will be the ones continuing to profit from his talents and exemplary work ethic.
