Column: Ed Tait on nicknames

The call came earlier this week just as yours truly was conducting an interview on another line, but the caller ID elicited an instant smile.

It read: James ‘Wild’ West.

That’s how I punched his name into my contacts list. First name: James. Last name: ‘Wild’ West.

And just so you know, under ‘Company’ the letters CFHOF are listed, short for ‘Canadian Football Hall of Fame.’

I missed the call, but a message was left..

‘Was browsing through my contacts list today and I saw your name. Hope all is well with you, man. Blessings upon you, brother. Stay safe. Peace out.’

Now, two things from all that. First, wouldn’t it be awesome if we all did the same once in a while – just scrolled through our contacts list and reached out to people – and even moreso during this pandemic?

James West

And, second, it’s interesting how a nickname, even a basic nickname like ‘Wild’ West, can stick with an athlete long after he has walked away from the game.

(Sidebar: in West’s case, every time I hear or read his name it’s also accompanied in my head with the chorus from that 1988 Kool Moe Dee song – appropriately named ‘Wild, Wild West – that used to rattle the speakers at old Winnipeg Stadium whenever the Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebacker made a big play, be it a sack, an interception or a huge hit).

All of this is simply a long-winded intro into this weekend’s column focusing on some of the memorable nicknames in the Bombers’ 90-year history.

The Bombers’ current locker room features the likes of ‘Yoshi’ (Jermarcus Hardrick) and ‘Money’ Justin Medlock. And the nameplate above Steven Richardson’s locker doesn’t feature his surname but instead, just ‘Stove.’

Compiling an all-time nicknames list can be like stepping into quicksand, for undoubtedly it will leave off a player whose nickname resonates with one fan or another. Still, with the help of Chris Walby, Troy Westwood, Doug Brown, Bob Irving and Rick Brownlee of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, we came up with a ton that cover just about every decade of the franchise’s existence.

What follows is a personal Top 10 list of favourites nicknames, followed by others of note…

Mack Herron

10. ‘MINI’ MACK HERRON

He stood all of 5-5, but was an instant fan favourite when he arrived in 1970. Was a two-time West All-Star and the Bombers’ Most Outstanding Player in 1972 before heading south to the NFL in 1973. Sadly, he ran into all sorts of drug troubles before passing away in 2015.

9. BUD KORCHAK – ‘THE UKRANIAN GAZELLE’ AND ‘THE GOLDEN TOE’

A Winnipeg product who was inducted into the Winnipeg Football Club Hall of Fame in 1996. Playing flying wing and kicker for the Bombers. Just a hunch, but we assume he was the Ukranian Gazelle while playing flying wing and the Golden Toe while kicking.

8. FRITZ HANSON – ‘Twinkletoes’, ‘The Perham Flash’, ‘The Golden Ghost’, ‘The Dipsy Doodle Dandy’

This is how good the franchise’s first superstar was – he had four different nicknames. The Perham Flash handle came from the name of his hometown: Perham, Minnesota..

7. CEC LUINING – The ‘Selkirk Milkman’

A personal favourite in the nickname collection because of its uniqueness and the regional component.

A defensive end and guard for the Bombers from 1954-63 – and a member of the club’s hall of fame – he earned his nickname because he helped run the family dairy in Selkirk. After retiring from football, he also served on Selkirk city council.

Chris Walby

6. TOM CASEY – ‘CITATION’

The nickname just oozes class. Casey was a running back, defensive back and punter for the Bombers and the first black player inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1964. And how cool is this: he coached girls basketball while studying to become a doctor and in 1956 was named Winnipeg’s ‘Citizen of the Year.’

5. LEO LEWIS – ‘THE LINCOLN LOCOMOTIVE’

Held most of the Bombers rushing records until Charles Roberts came along. Earned his nickname while starring at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri and it stuck when he came north.

4. EDDIE ‘DYNAMITE’ JAMES/GERRY ‘KID DYNAMITE’ JAMES

Father/son duo both in the Canadian Football and Winnipeg Football Club Halls of Fame. Eddie first suited up with the Regina Pats and Roughriders before joining St. John’s College in Winnipeg in 1932 and was later part of the ‘Winnipegs’ squad that captured the 1935 Grey Cup.

The story of his son Gerry is remarkable. He first started playing for the Bombers at age 17 and four years later made his National Hockey League debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Considered one of the greatest athletes in Canadian history.

3. MILT ‘TURTLE MAN’ STEGALL

The CFL’s all-time touchdown king earned the moniker because his abs were seen to resemble the shell of a turtle. That won’t change, either, due to Stegall’s vow that he will always be ‘cute in the face and thin in the waist.’

2. CHRIS WALBY – ‘BLUTO’

One of the true Blue Bombers legends, the gi-normous hall of famer was said during his playing days to be a spitting image of the villainous ‘Bluto’ character of Popeye fame.

1. CHARLES ROBERTS – ‘BLINK’

Simple, but a perfect analogy for the hall of famer and the Bombers’ all-time leading rusher. The source of the nickname for the shifty running back is Stegall, who once said of Roberts ‘if you blink, you’ll miss him.’

Charles Roberts

OTHER BOMBER NOTABLE NICKNAMES

• Russ ‘The Wisconsin Wraith’ Rebholz: There’s an intriguing old-school tone to Rebholz’ moniker. Born in Portage, Wisconsin, he is in the Bombers hall of fame for his work as a player and a coach. Threw for two TDs in the 1935 Grey Cup.
• Robert ‘Bobby Gorgeous’ Gordon: appeared in a half-dozen movies, including ‘Any Given Sunday.’
• James ‘Wild’ West: summed up in the intro above.
• Tyrone ‘The Mouth that Roared’ Jones: Pair him with West and no pair talked and walked a better game during their day.
• Charlie ‘Choo-Choo’ Shepard: Great fullback of the Glory Days era of the late 1950s/early 1960s who was also a superb punter.
• Bobby ‘Big Cat’ Thompson: Mammoth offensive tackle from the Dieter Brock years.
• Ron ‘Pepe’ Latourelle: Proud product of the Winnipeg Rods and St. Paul’s High School who was one of the best punt returners in club history.
• Doug Brown, aka ‘White Shaq’ or ‘Big Bird’: A 6-7, 300-pounder? Too easy.
• Willard Reaves, aka, ‘The Sheriff’: One of the CFL’s dominant running backs in the 1980s and a real Sheriff.
• Dieter ‘Diet The Treat’ Brock, aka ‘The Birmingham Rifle’: The legendary QB has long ago kissed and made up after his exit in 1983. Let’s remember how good he was in Bombers colours.
• Bill ‘Red Dog’ Ceretti: A member of the Grey Cup championship teams of 1935, 1939 and 1941, Ceretti earned the nickname because of his skills at the card game with the same name.
• Ernie ‘Zazu’ Pitts: No one we’ve reached out to seems to know the origin of the Zazu nickname, but Pitts – one of the greatest Bombers receivers – was also named ‘Snoozy’ in college.
• Brian Clark, aka ‘Francis’: Nicknamed after a character in the movie ‘Stripes’ he underwent a game day transformation from nice guy to, well, not a nice guy.
• Dick ‘The Bull’ Huffman: Big All-American tackle who starred at Tennessee before joining the Bombers.
• Roger ‘The Baby Bull’ Savoie: Local product, so named because he had to face Huffman in practice and was smaller.
• Brendan Labatte ‘Blue’: No explanation necessary for the veteran OL, still plying his trade with the green guys to the west.
• Elfrid ‘SWAC’ Payton: One of the greatest pass rushers in CFL history is, for some reason, named for the conference his school – Grambling University – played in: the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Also known as ‘Swizzle.’
• ‘Tricky’ Dick Thornton: One of the most colourful players in pro football. A defensive back, he campaigned Bud Grant to play quarterback by hiring a kid to run through the bleachers with a sign that read ‘Thornton for Quarterback.’ It didn’t work.
• Lorne ‘Boom-Boom’ Benson: Still holds the CFL playoff record with six touchdowns in one game in a game in October of 1953 vs. Saskatchewan.
• Paul ‘Mad Dog’ Robson: Later became the club’s GM, selecting Cal Murphy to be his head coach and ending a long championship drought in 1984.
• Albert Johnson III, aka ‘Flight 87’: An electric receiver and return man who wore #87 and was nicknamed Flight 87 after a newspaper fan poll.
• Robert ‘Buddy’ Tinsley and Harry Peter ‘Bud’ Grant: Two franchise legends.
• Joe Poplawski, aka ‘Joe Pop’: One of the most popular Bombers ever, shortening Poplawksi to Joe Pop was a natural move.

Finally, as we sign off here, let’s all channel our inner James ‘Wild’ West: Stay safe. Peace out.