![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Group_1_1978-Eugene-Clark-Kelvin-Kirk-Neil-Lumsden-Terry-Metcalf-Charles-Smith-800x548.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIn the modern history of the Toronto Argonauts, two signings\u00a0were\u00a0more jaw dropping\u00a0than any other; Raghib \u201cRocket\u201d Ismail and Terry \u201cSweet Feet\u201d Metcalf.<\/p>\n
Ismail, the electrifying receiver\/returner from Notre Dame,\u00a0was a superstar at the college level but had yet to prove himself\u00a0in the pros\u00a0when he\u00a0shockingly\u00a0signed with the Argos. Conversely, Metcalf was a bona fide NFL star;\u00a0a\u00a0three-time\u00a0Pro Bowler, an All-Pro, and the man\u00a0who set the NFL single-season record for\u00a0all-purpose yards in a season.<\/p>\n
But after\u00a0a Pro Bowl season\u00a0in 1977, Metcalf and the St. Louis Cardinals were at a\u00a0contractual\u00a0impasse, and he\u00a0had played out his\u00a0option.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to go to the Baltimore Colts, I also wanted to go to the Oakland Raiders,\u201d Metcalf\u00a0recalled for\u00a0Argonauts.ca in a telephone conversation from his home in Seattle.\u00a0\u201cBut every team that my lawyer tried to get a deal with, they all\u00a0quoted the same price.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lack of a bidding war for\u00a0the star was frustrating. He knew he should have been in demand\u00a0by\u00a0virtually every\u00a0NFL team.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom my understanding, I was the number one free agent coming out that year,\u201d he explained. \u201cBut what they were offering me was not sufficient for what I did and what I was doing. So, I was actually going to sit out and wait, then my lawyer called me and told me he had talked to Toronto, and Toronto wanted to give us what we wanted. That\u2019s how it started.\u201d<\/p>\n
Metcalf was a remarkable\u00a0combination\u00a0of speed and agility. He could catch the ball, run through contact,\u00a0and was an exceptional returner; all skills that would translate\u00a0beautifully to\u00a0the wide field\u00a0of\u00a0the CFL.<\/p>\n
But most importantly, the Argos paid him what he was worth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was getting to a point where there were people getting paid more money\u00a0than\u00a0I was and\u00a0doing half of what I did.\u00a0I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0think that was fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
The move to\u00a0Canada was more about family and less about ego. At some point Metcalf decided that\u00a0while\u00a0the NFL was great,\u00a0the business side of\u00a0the sport made moving north\u00a0a relatively easy\u00a0decision.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI accomplished a lot in the NFL; statistically, accolades, things of that nature,\u201d said the product of\u00a0Long Beach State. \u201cThe only\u00a0things\u00a0I hadn\u2019t done at that point was win a league MVP\u00a0(he finished second in 1974 and third in \u201975)\u00a0and get a Super Bowl ring, so those were missing from my resume. But I was thinking of my family and what I could do financially to help them. That was one of the big motivators for me coming to Toronto.\u201d<\/p>\n
A New York Times story\u00a0about his move north\u00a0reported the star was making around $80,000 per year\u00a0with St. Louis. The Argo deal\u00a0was for\u00a0a reported $100,000 guaranteed with\u00a0added\u00a0incentives to\u00a0potentially\u00a0make another $150,000 per year\u00a0based on his performance.\u00a0The story\u00a0added\u00a0that\u00a0he was asking between $200,000 and $300,000 per year\u00a0from NFL teams.<\/p>\n
For perspective, the average NFL salary in 1978 was between\u00a0$55-60,000, with the league having the lowest average salary of any of the \u201cbig four\u201d sports.<\/p>\n
So,\u00a0it\u00a0was off to Toronto,\u00a0which\u00a0surprisingly felt like home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had never been to the Eastern part of Canada,\u201d\u00a0said the\u00a0Pacific\u00a0northwesterner. \u201cIt reminded me a lot of Seattle\u00a0because the city\u00a0is\u00a0on the water.\u00a0Seattle had\u00a0the Space\u00a0Needle;\u00a0Toronto had\u00a0the CN Tower\u00a0which was twice as tall. The city itself was enticing; it was clean, I had\u00a0no bad feelings about moving to that city. I just unfortunately had to go through\u00a0four coaches in three years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh\u00a0ya, that.<\/p>\n
Metcalf was to become\u00a0a great player\u00a0on, shall we politely say, a Grey Cup\u00a0non-contender.\u00a0He was to be the\u00a0saviour, a player whose\u00a0talents were perfect for the bigger field and\u00a0more wide-open game, especially in that era.<\/p>\n
But the Argos\u00a0weren\u2019t\u00a0good and were struggling to find the right combination\u00a0of athletes, or more honestly,\u00a0just better\u00a0athletes. That\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0help\u00a0Terry\u00a0Metcalf\u00a0play like, well, Terry Metcalf.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know how it\u00a0works;\u00a0they bring in American players but if they can\u2019t cut it, they\u2019re gone,\u201d Metcalf explained. \u201cIn my first year it\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0so much the\u00a0calibre\u00a0that I was playing against\u00a0that\u00a0I was\u00a0worried about; it was\u00a0more or less the\u00a0team being competitive. There was a 33-man\u00a0roster,\u00a0and we went through 133 players my first year.\u00a0I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0think I had the same offensive line for two weeks or longer.\u201d<\/p>\n
The running back\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0throwing\u00a0his teammates under the bus, he just admitted the obvious, the Argos just\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0have enough\u00a0talent, nor enough talented Canadians.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had some good ballplayers up there,\u201d he noted. \u201cIt just\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0consistent enough to\u00a0establish\u00a0something.\u00a0We\u00a0weren\u2019t\u00a0solid enough at that time and that may have been the coaching, not being able to get the guys all thinking the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1978\u00a0the Argos had Leo Cahill as head coach for\u00a0nine games (3-6) before he was fired and replaced by Bud Riley, who went 1-6\u00a0the\u00a0rest of the way. After that it was Forrest Gregg in 1980, then Willie Wood for 1981.<\/p>\n
It was one of the darkest eras in Argo history, despite some\u00a0pretty good\u00a0frontline talent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe overall organization wasn\u2019t what I\u00a0was expecting it to be, I was expecting it to be a lot better,\u201d said Metcalf. \u201cI loved the team and loved being there, I just wish we were able to solidify the coaching staff and the roster.\u00a0We had some good athletes: Chuck Ealey was there, Peter Muller was there, Bruce Smith was there.\u00a0We had some pieces, we just\u00a0didn\u2019t\u2026for me,\u00a0a coach\u00a0has got\u00a0to be able to put the pieces together.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ealey_Chuck_5-_1978-with-Terry-Metcalf-800x623.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
It\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0help that the season started off on a sour note for\u00a0the CFL newbie.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a workaholic,\u201d he explained.\u00a0\u201cI was running a mile before each practice, two-a-days, then some guy went at my knee in training camp and that sat me out for a couple of weeks. That put a damper on my\u00a0roll\u00a0because I was ready to go. I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know if I ever regrouped from that. The knee was okay, but the mental state of being ready\u00a0like\u00a0I want to be ready.\u00a0In St. Louis I used to run 10 miles a day and play basketball twice a day, lift weights once or twice a day. I was a workaholic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the injury and the\u00a0less-than-ideal\u00a0roster, Metcalf\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0totally\u00a0disappoint.\u00a0In his three years\u00a0he racked up\u00a0over\u00a03,100 yards\u00a0from scrimmage, adding\u00a0some spot punt returning in his first couple of years.<\/p>\n
It was still short of the lofty\u00a0and\u00a0likely unfair\u00a0expectations most had when he signed with the Double Blue.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/metcalf-toronto-argos-e1770651432571-800x447.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The final two seasons were led by Gregg and Wood, former teammates with Vince Lombardi\u2019s Packers, reunited\u00a0by their selections to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.\u00a0But while the pair achieved\u00a0its\u00a0highest goals in the NFL, their CFL careers\u00a0were forgettable; Gregg was\u00a05-11 in one season\u00a0as a head coach, Wood\u00a06-20 in just over a year and a half.<\/p>\n
Metcalf\u00a0was disappointed\u00a0that they\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0achieve more, but he came to realize\u00a0why\u00a0they\u00a0didn\u2019t. Argonauts.ca asked him specifically about Gregg and\u00a0whether\u00a0the player\u00a0was surprised that\u00a0success\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0come\u00a0the coach\u2019s\u00a0way.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u00a0it did, but\u00a0I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0think he knew the game as well as he knew the American game.\u00a0It is different.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0not saying it was so different,\u00a0you\u2019d\u00a0have to take your time to really learn the game and learn the\u00a0intricacies of the game, and I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0think\u00a0Forrest\u00a0had enough time to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued\u00a0by talking about Gregg\u2019s successor, Wood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0the same for him.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0one thing to come in with your philosophy, but your philosophy\u00a0has to\u00a0fit this game because\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a different game.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0different enough that it\u00a0impacts\u00a0how you approach the game and how you\u00a0gameplan\u00a0and I think\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0what was lacking.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0not a put\u00a0down,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0just a reality.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0thinking about that now, at the time I was thinking about why\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0y\u2019all coach?\u00a0(laughs)\u201d<\/p>\n
After his third season with the\u00a0Argos,\u00a0it was back\u00a0to the NFL for a season with Washington. Joe Gibbs\u00a0\u2013\u00a0who was the running backs coach in St. Louis\u00a0for all four of Metcalf\u2019s years there \u2013 was named the head coach.<\/p>\n
After that season Metcalf\u00a0took the cleats off his sweet feet for good.<\/p>\n
He\u00a0was able to extend his football\u00a0career vicariously through his son. Eric\u00a0played\u00a0in the NFL\u00a0for over a decade,\u00a0also as a running back\/returner, also wearing #21, and just like his dad, was named to three Pro Bowls.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Terry\u00a0earned a doctorate\u00a0in theology, but his main post-football career has been working with kids. After retiring,\u00a0he stayed in the D.C. area and worked with \u201cSuper Teams,\u201d\u00a0a\u00a0rather remarkable\u00a0drug prevention program.\u00a0After moving back to Seattle in\u00a01990\u00a0he became\u00a0a teacher and a high-school football coach.<\/p>\n
Metcalf is now 74\u00a0and continues to teach kindergarten in Seattle, noting \u201cThere\u2019s the one thing I don\u2019t do, I don\u2019t do recess (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n
His signing made such an impact in Toronto that when the team celebrated its 150th\u00a0anniversary in 2023,\u00a0his arrival\u00a0ranked as the\u00a074th\u00a0most memorable moment in franchise history.<\/p>\n
The last word went to\u00a0the man himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only thing about Toronto, I wish my time there\u00a0was\u00a0longer and I wish my time\u00a0was\u00a0more successful.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a very beautiful\u00a0city and I\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0have minded retiring there.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the modern history of the Toronto Argonauts, two signings\u00a0were\u00a0more jaw dropping\u00a0than any other; Raghib \u201cRocket\u201d Ismail and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":464000,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-463999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/463999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=463999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/463999\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/464000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=463999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=463999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=463999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}