BRIAN SNELGROVE
Special to argonauts.ca
TORONTO — He played in the first ever Vanier Cup in 1965 and was the winner of the inaugural Hec Crighton Trophy in 1967.
The Argos will host Retro Night when they take on the Montreal Alouettes at Rogers Centre on August 14. The Boatmen will turn back the clock to celebrate the decade with retro music, retro uniforms and much more.
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purchase online.
Quite a feat for this former Toronto Argonaut wide receiver who moved to Canada from Czechoslovakia when he was three years old and ended up as a mainstay in the Argos offense for most of the 1970’s.
“As I recall the first Vanier was a low-scoring affair at Varsity Stadium,” Mike Eben recalls. “I think we beat Alberta.” Indeed Eben’s recollection is accurate as The U of T knocked off the Golden Bears 14-7 and were crowned national champions.
“It was relatively constrained,” Eben says of winning the Hec Crighton, the trophy awarded annually to the most outstanding player in Canadian university football. “Not many people knew about it. I was very pleased but it was all sort of new. I’d been an all-star and then they announced that I was the winner of this new award. It sort of means more in a way now as I’ve been back a number of times to present the trophy.”
Eben moved to Canada with his family and settled in Vineland, Ontario in 1950 and later moved to St. Catharines. The family relocated to Toronto when Eben was seven. After high school Eben attended The University of Toronto where he concentrated on learning several languages and would eventually earn his PhD in German studies shortly after the Grey Cup in 1971.
“I had to take my books and notes to the hotel in Vancouver,” Eben says with a chuckle. “Here I am just before the Grey Cup sitting in my room studying for my PhD.”
The wide receiver was the first overall pick in the 1968 CFL Draft by the B.C. Lions but was traded to the Argonauts, primarily because he wanted to continue his studies at The University of Toronto. The Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys also showed interest in the former university standout.
Eben spent nine years with the Argonauts (1968-69 and 1971-’77)) and was a reliable, sure-handed pass-catcher. Twice he was an Eastern all-star (1971 and ’76). In a three year span (74-77), Eben caught at least one pass in 38 consecutive games, the seventh best streak in club history.
Eben’s memories of the ’71 Grey Cup are mixed. “It was a lousy day and we were a throwing team,” he says. “It took away from our throwing game. Leon (McQuay) was a great, great runner and it was tough when he fumbled. I was on the other side of the field and as I crossed the line I looked over and he was running away from me and we were going to go in and score. Of course that didn’t happen. When he fumbled that was the game. It really was disappointing because we had a very good team. I remember making a catch and sort of rooster-tailing through the water. That Grey Cup was a bittersweet experience.”
Eben led all Toronto receivers in the ’71 game with three receptions for 44 yards.
“Mike Eben was a student of the game,” says former Head Coach Leo Cahill. “He sort of stood out as an intellectual but he was a great football player. He didn’t have great speed but he had an amazing ability to get open and catch the ball. He was a great guy for concentrating on his job. I don’t remember him ever getting hurt. Eben never had a serious injury as I recall and really took care of himself.”
Eben counts John Williams from Hamilton (“he was my nemesis for years”), Dickie Harris from Montreal, Al Marcelin from Ottawa and Larry Highbaugh of the Edmonton Eskimos as the toughest defenders he faced. “I liked to play against Winnipeg and Saskatchewan,” he says. “They played a predictable style of zone coverage.”
Following his retirement the ex-Argo was a familiar face in Toronto as he taught at Upper Canada College for more than 20 years. He left the school last year and is now teaching French part-time at Sterling Hall, an elementary private school in Toronto.
Married with two children, the 64 year old Eben has been doing voice over work and narration for radio and television for more than fifteen years. He has done numerous commercials, sports promotions and recently was a German translator on the 10 part series “The Greatest Tank Battles” featured on The History Channel.
Eben still attends charity golf tournaments and is a member of the CFL Alumni Charity slow pitch baseball team which makes appearances throughout the country.
“It was the best of times,” says Eben about playing in the CFL in the 70’s. “I have great memories. The camaraderie was great. Nothing was ever dull. Leo (Cahill) was never dull. We had a lot of characters. Guys like Bobby Taylor, Profit, Raimey, Corrigal, Thornton and Tim Anderson. And Joe Theismann. Joe was a character. He was a gregarious, social guy and it took him awhile to understand the game up here. We were one of the main shows in the city. We were the team in town. It really was a great time.”