Argos Land Pair On CFL’s Greatest Q.B./Receiver List
Posted July 28, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
In football lore quarterback/receiver tandem Condredge Holloway and Terry Greer may not be Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. But the Argonauts duo still did plenty of damage, and here in Canada people took notice.
On Friday, the former Boatmen were named the sixth of nine nominees in the Greatest Quarterback-Receiver Connections in CFL History program, in which fans vote on-line for the team that takes home the honour. And even though there’s some stiff competition, plenty stands out about Holloway (pictured) and Greer.
“Terry was the type of receiver that when you threw him the ball, three things would happen, and none of them were bad,” Holloway recalled. “First, he’d catch it. But if he couldn’t catch it, then he made sure the other guys didn’t either.
“The third thing was the pass was incomplete, but at least you still had the ball and had another chance to make a play. The trust factor between quarterback and receiver is essential in football and there’s no doubt I had that with Terry.”
Greer was also complimentary, recalling the unique bond he had with his pivot.
“I just knew when the ball was coming to me,” he said. “If things broke down, I knew Condredge would look to me and he always knew where to find me. That was something that came from hours of practicing together.”
Anthony Calvillo and Ben Cahoon of the Montreal Alouettes, Danny McManus and Darren Flutie of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Ron Lancaster and Hugh Campbell of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Khari Jones and Milt Stegall of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Warren Moon and Brian Kelly of the Edmonton Eskimos are the other entrants named thus far.
Voting begins once all nine pairs are unveiled and winners will be announced at halftime in Winnipeg at the 2006 Grey Cup on November 19.
But even if the Argonauts’ entry doesn’t take home the prize, there’s still plenty that’s noteworthy attached to the dynamic duo.
Holloway was drafted as a shortstop by the Montreal Expos but decided to play football and began his CFL career with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1975. He was dealt to Toronto in 1981 and remained with the team through 1986.
Now 52, he helped Toronto to consecutive Grey Cup appearances in 1982 and 1983 with a win in the latter. He was the CFL’s outstanding player in 1982 and in 1998 was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Both Holloway and Greer are all-time Argos.
The 48-year-old Greer spent six seasons with Toronto from 1980-85 before heading to the NFL, but his best pro season came in 1983 when he was the first ever to grab 2,000-plus yards, earning 2003 on 113 catches. Both remain club records.
“That (2,000-yard season) was a big honour but it didn’t really dawn on me until after,” Greer said. “I remember breaking the huddle and going to my position and seeing all the guys on the sidelines all standing up and waiting to see me do it.
In their five seasons together, Holloway and Greer combined for 219 receptions, 3,991 yards and 27 touchdowns.