It’s the highest recognition the Toronto Argonauts can bestow upon a mere mortal.
Retiring a player’s number is an Argo recognition so rare that only four players – Joe Krol, Dick Shatto, Danny Nykoluk, and Michael Clemons – have been so honoured. Being selected as an All-Time Argo is the top distinction shy of that, and one more player will be added to the list on Saturday.
Chris Schultz will become the 28th elite athlete in the group in a pre-game ceremony when the Ottawa Redblacks visit BMO Field for a 3:00 kickoff.
It’s unusual for an offensive lineman to remain anything but anonymous, but Schultz stepped out of the shadows both as a player and a broadcaster.
With a tip of the Greek fishing cap to the Argonauts Hellenic history, Schultz was a hybrid of Hercules and Aristotle. At 6’7” with a playing weight of just under 300 pounds, he towered over his opponents. He used his power to his advantage, and especially when provoked, brought an intensity to his play that most of his peers and successors could only dream of.
But Schultz was more than just a physical specimen, he was a keen student of the game. In an era where a post-practice gathering was usually held at a bar, Schultz could be found in the film room, studying his opponents and sharing insights with fellow linemen.
“I’m not sure what time he left,” said Clemons, his long-time teammate. “There were times where I went somewhere after practice and came back by the stadium, and he was still there. He had his (weight) lift, he had his film work, he was exhaustive in terms of his preparation.”
It was that aspect of Schultz’s game that the team’s current general manager wished to expand upon.
“A truly special guy,” Clemons told Argonauts.ca. “Committed, dedicated to the game; absolutely loved it. It was his unbridled passion; he honoured it with the time and effort that he put into it.”
Schultz’s combination of size, strength, and cerebral preparation made him a force like few others.
The Burlington native was anything but kind and courteous on the field, the complete opposite of the other person to be honoured as an All-Time Argo, who is best remembered as a perfect gentleman.
Nick Volpe will become just the fourth person enshrined in the Builders category.
After starring at the University of Toronto, where he was named a member of Varsity’s All-Century Team, Volpe joined the Argos in 1949 as a player. His on-field days will be forever remembered for the two field goals he kicked in the 1950 Grey Cup win, known as the Mud Bowl for the swampy conditions in which the game was played.
He’d retire as a player and became an educator, then a long-time isolation director on CFL television broadcasts, but he knew he had more to give to the game.
He’d join the Argos scouting department in 1988 and before he was done, he’d become the team’s director of Canadian scouting before retiring in the mid-2010s.
In his time with the Argos the team added Canadian talent like Paul Masotti, Kevin Eiben, Andre Talbot, Mike Campbell, Chad Folk, Noel Prefontaine, and Cleyon Laing.
He’d win enough Grey Cup rings as an executive to fill the fingers on his right hand and would need two more on his left to sport the rings he won as a player. Volpe’s legacy was cemented long before receiving this recognition.
“Truly a legend,” said Clemons of Volpe. “I love the game of football, and I love education. He was able to provide those as well as anybody I’ve ever known.”
Schultz was selected by a vote by members of the Toronto Argonauts Alumni Association, while Volpe was chosen by the organization.
Several players who have already been inducted as All-Time Argos will be in attendance on Saturday to not only welcome Schultz and Volpe to a very exclusive club, but to pay tribute to the dedication the pair showed to their craft, as well as the Double Blue logo that they represented so well.
The ceremony will be held prior to kickoff, so if you’re going to the game, please get to your seat early.