Saskatchewan Roughrider Don Narcisse, 80, turns upfield, after catching a pass in his 138th consecutive game, breaking by one the old CFL record held by Tony Gabriel. Surrounding Narcisse during CFL action in Regina, Sask., Sunday are Junior Robinson, 2, and Alex Gordon, 58, of the Memphis Maddogs.The Canadian Press
When he used to head home to Texas for his CFL offseasons, Saskatchewan Roughriders wide receiver Don Narcisse would meet some pals who would inevitably ask, "When you gonna play pro football?"
Narcisse would smile and - in the land of high school football and the all-consuming NFL - try explaining what the CFL meant to Canadians, to Saskatchewan fans and to him, an undersized, asthmatic whose dedication to the game is earning him enshrinement this week into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
"The good part now is that NFL Network shows CFL games,'' Narcisse, 45, said from Manvel, Tex., where he works as a loan officer.
"Every time Saskatchewan plays I'm getting so many phone calls telling me, 'Saskatchewan is good!' 'That football's not that bad there!'
"My first year in Saskatchewan, I played eight games and went home after the season. Somebody was asking me questions and I was answering, 'Yeah, the field's longer, it's wider.' Then it was, 'Do you play with 11 or 12 players?' I was like, 'Man, I ain't ever counted! I guess there are 12.' That's how I played the game: I just worried about the football."
Also being inducted are former quarterback Tracy Ham, defensive end Elfrid Payton, punter Bob Cameron and Quebec builder Joe Pistilli. The event is usually held in Hamilton, but the Hall of Fame has been moving the ceremony to get more exposure.
Narcisse's induction this year coincidentally comes while Riders fans are buying Narcisse's memorabilia in an on-line auction for KidSport, a charity he supported during his playing career. There's also a move afoot to help offset some of the retirement money that Narcisse, a notoriously tight-fisted spender, lost in an investment scam involving two former teammates.
"I don't address none of that, about gelling with them or mentioning them because I don't talk about anything negative," said Narcisse. "It's like this, if that's in my article, it's like me dropping one pass a game, I'd feel really bad."
The inductees will be attending a Roughriders game against the visiting B.C. Lions on Thursday, which the province of Saskatchewan has officially re-christened Don Narcisse Day in honour of a man who would often show up unannounced to supporters' birthday parties and was thrice voted as the fans' favourite player.
Narcisse was listed as 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds. He wasn't fast, but he was a "blue-collar worker,'' shifty, capable of making the most amazing catches and celebrating his 75 touchdowns with a goofy, shimmying dance. Dropped balls were rare - between 1987-99 and including a Grey Cup victory in 1989, he had eight 1,000-yard receiving seasons, retired with the most receptions (919) in the league, was third in yardage (12,366) and never missed a game, nor catching a pass in a record-setting 216 consecutive contests.
Narcisse is bringing 15 people to the induction ceremonies, including his wife Cassandra and three children, sisters and brothers, old school teammates and Albert Johnson, a former CFL return specialist whose career was helped by Narcisse.
As he prepared for the trip Monday, Narcisse's mother Dorothy died of congestive heart failure at the age of 73. His father died seven years ago.
"I'm going to make sure of one thing, that we get our family and everybody in a group picture,'' said Narcisse. "And I'm going to put it in her casket when we get home. This is what your son did, this is for the family. This is for everybody.''
"We're going to need a lot of prayers but we're gonna hold on."
Narcisse's parents had made their first airplane flight together to see him play "pro'' football in Regina; he credits their work ethic and tenacity as the main reasons for his successful career. Upon learning of his Hall induction, Narcisse immediately called his former high school coach in Port Arthur, Tex., Richard Williams, and thanked him for convincing Texas Southern University to give him a scholarship.