When I sent cards to the CFL as part of a blitz package, the league was kind enough to send me more cards with autographs on them from the Jogo 1992 set. Most NFL fans probably don’t have a clue who Alondra Johnson is but that’s okay because he blazed his own trail North of the Border terrorizing offenses for 16 seasons in the CFL. A 2009 CFL HoF inductee, Johnson (from West Texas A&M) played in 6 Grey Cup Championships winning three (1992,1998, and 2001) with the Stampeders. Originally signed as a free agent by the British Columbia Lions in 1989, Johnson would play for them for three seasons before he signed with Calgary in 1991 playing for head coach Wally Buono. 1998 would be punctuated by Alondra getting the CFL’s most valuable defensive player award and in his career he’d be named a 6 time Western All Star and 3 time CFL All Star. He’d suit up for the Stamps an additional 12 seasons and a final one in 2004 with Saskatchewan. In 2007, Johnson signed a one day contract to retire as a Stampeder. At the time of his retirement, Alondra’s 1095 career tackles ranked second all time in CFL history. In 2005 he was inducted into the West Texas A&M Hall of Champions, and in 2010 he was inducted into the Stampeders Wall of Honor. Johnson once described his playing methodology as, “Speed-times-force-times-mass equals serious punishment.” At last glance Alondra is living in Los Angeles, planning his next move.
G 248 Tac 1095 Sac 45 Fum 16 Int 17 Yds n/a Avg -.- Td 1 Lg N/a
Card: All World 1991
Acquired: TTM 1992, C/o The CFL
Kent Austin won the CFL Grey Cup MVP honor in 1989 and also the CFL Coach of the Year Award in 2007 but before this his career started way back in 1986 as the third string quarterback of the St. Louis Cardinals.
He’d head north after the season where Kent would play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1987-1993 experiencing tremendous success. Afterwards he’d play one season a piece for the British Columbia Lions (winning his second Grey Cup), Toronto Argonauts, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers retiring after the ’96 season.
Kent Austin decided to pursue coaching and has had stops in the CFL as both coordinator for the Argonauts and Roughriders and is the first coach to win a championship as both head coach and player of the same team. He headed back to the college ranks to coach at Mississippi and most recently took the head coaching job at Cornell in 2010. Listed below are his CFL statistics.
Att 4700 Comp 2709 Yds 36030 Pct 57.6%
Td 198 Int 191 Rat 79.1
Card: All World 1991
Acquired: TTM 1992, C/o The CFL
A 2005 Saskatchewan Roughriders Plaza of Honor inductee who played collegiately at Arizona, Jeff Fairholm was the Rookie of the Year in 1988 of the CFL Western Division, recording 45 catches that season. Considered a non-import because he was originally from Canada and played high school there, Fairholm would team up with Ray Elgaard and lead the team to the Grey Cup Championship in 1989 (with another 45 receptions). In 1990 Jeff would electrify the league with a franchise record 107 yard touchdown reception, despite limited play from injury; However, the next three seasons would be a testament to Jeff’s ability as he’d rake in 216 receptions and 28 touchdowns. He’d sign with the Argonauts as a free agent in 1994, but was never able to duplicate the numbers he had in those final 3 seasons for Saskatchewan. Solid slot receiver play from Fairholm helped him play in the league until he won another championship in 1996 with the Toronto Argonauts, where he later coached wide receivers. Since his coaching days Jeff has diversified his interests and also runs an internet corporation in the Montreal area.
