Phillips Enters Hall Despite Short Career
09/04/2009 04:42
Played six years for Ottawa, Edmonton
Rudy Phillips played only six seasons in the CFL -- two with the Edmonton Eskimos -- but the impact he made on the offensive line was enough to get him named Tuesday as one of five new inductees into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
"I was excited; as well, I was shocked, dumbfounded really," the now 51-year-old native of Dallas told a telephone news conference on Tuesday. "Then I just sat back with my mouth open to realize what an honour it was to even be thought about, to be selected in (with) such a number of great players. It's an honour, a fantastic feeling." Phillips was elected along with Calgary Stampeders linebacker Alondra Johnson, B.C. Lions offensive lineman Jim Mills, Montreal Alouettes defensive tackle Glen Weir and Calgary's Tony Anselmo, who was elected in the builder category.
"This year we honour one builder and four linemen, two from each side of the line of scrimmage," said CFL commissioner Mark Cohon. "It is wonderful to see these players share the spotlight because, while they all had high-profile and award-winning careers, it is fair to say that those who play our great game in the trenches generally deserve more attention than they receive.
"I'm sure this class feels it represents every lineman who ever sacrificed so another could score the touchdown, or make the tackle." Phillips played six games with the Ottawa Rough Riders after signing in September 1981, plus the Grey Cup game in which underdog Ottawa led 20-0 and appeared on the verge of perhaps the greatest upset in CFL history against the powerhouse Eskimos. But the Esks, who won the previous three championships and would go on to win five in a row, rallied in the second half for a 26-23 win.
"That was one of my fondest memories; even today that Grey Cup stays with me," recalled Phillips. "That was my first year in the league and the excitement, the electricity that surrounded that game, stuck with me and is still with me today. I was thinking that's the way it should be each year I played, and boy, was I disappointed." For the next three seasons, the six-foot-three, 260-pound offensive tackle was one of the CFL's top linemen, being named its most outstanding lineman in 1982 and 1983.
He left Ottawa for a shot at the NFL in 1985, but returned in 1986 with the Eskimos, where he was named a West Division all-star and an all-Canadian for the third time in his career.
Phillips said he came to Edmonton hoping to win a Grey Cup. The Eskimos made it back to the big game in 1986, but lost 39-15 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The next year, Phillips and the Esks were back, this time beating the Toronto Argonauts 38-36, but Phillips -- who dressed for just 10 games that season -- didn't play in the Grey Cup game.
"That (losing in 1986) wasn't a positive experience," said Phillips. "But it was a good experience to play with the Eskimos.
"We won a lot of football games, we had some great teams, had a lot of great offensive linemen I played with, like Leo Blanchard, Hector Pothier. We had a great team." In his six years, Phillips played 76 games, and his impact was impressive. In addition to his Western all-star and all-Canadian status with the Eskimos in 1986, he was an Eastern all-star twice, and an all-Canadian and the league's top offensive lineman in both 1982 and 1983.
"In each of those years we tried to make ourselves better every year," he said. "That's what we went by, trying to better ourselves, so to reach a plateau such as this is amazing." The five will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during induction weekend in Winnipeg, Sept. 24-26.
Five new members elected to CFL Hall of Fame.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Rudy Phillips was one hell of an offensive lineman.