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February 20, 2017

Number 79

NUMBER SEVENTY-NINE
NAME POSITION YEAR
Nick Arakgi TE 1987
Paul Archer (also #69) OL 2007
Ron Crick LB 1987
Rob Crifo (also #38) SB 1989-93
Willie Fears DT 1988
Art Felker E 1952
Ron Kirkland (also #28) FB 1967-68
Bob O’Doherty WR 1979-81
Keith Pearce (also #52) E, DB 1950-58
Rae Ross E 1959-60
David Taylor WR 1986

Division All-Stars:

  • Rob Crifo (1991, 1992)

 

He Wore It Well:

Rob Crifo, SB, 1989-93

A third-round pick of the Bombers in 1988, the 6-6 Crifo developed into a reliable target for quarterbacks Tom Burgess and Matt Dunigan in the early 1990s and has two divisional all-star selections to show for it.

Crifo busted out in 1991 with regular playing time, pulling in 39 catches for 775 yards and four TDs and followed that up a year later with 53 receptions for 798 yards and five TDs. He would move on from the Bombers to finish out his career with stops in Ottawa, Toronto (twice), Saskatchewan and Hamilton.

Notable:

Bob O’Doherty was the second-overall pick in 1978 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but made his debut a year later with the Bombers. A standout at Queen’s University in football, basketball and tennis – he also won a Canadian junior tennis championship when he was younger – O’Doherty, helped Queen’s win the 1978 Vanier Cup and was also a finalist for the Hec Crighton Awar  as the top player in Candian university football.

Forced into retirement because of injuries, O’Doherty stayed active in sport and has served as the executive director of Football Canada, was the GM of the 2009 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in Ottawa and was the Vice-President of Sports and Venues at the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Games in Toronto.

FYI:

A standout during his days with the Alouettes, Nick Arakgi played just one year for the Bombers after being selected by the club after Montreal folded prior to the 1987 season before injuries led to his retirement. His son is Jason Arakgi of the B.C. Lions, now the CFL’s all-time leader in special-teams tackles.