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News: Former CFL star Etcheverry dies of cancer

Former Montreal Alouettes quarterback Sam Etcheverry has died at age 79 following a lengthy battle with cancer.

The team announced Etcheverry's death Saturday in a news release.

Etcheverry, who spent the majority of his career with the Alouettes, was one of the most dominant quarterbacks in the CFL during the 1950s.

Nicknamed "The Rifle," he led Montreal to three straight Grey Cup appearances and was named the league's top quarterback in 1954.

Two years later, he became the first quarterback in league history to pass for more than 4,000 yards in a season.

Etcheverry set nearly every quarterback record in Alouettes history, finishing with 30,303 passing yards and 186 touchdowns while becoming one of the franchise's most revered players. He also holds league records for most passing yards in a Grey Cup game (508, in 1955) and most consecutive games with a passing touchdown (34, from 1954-56).

Following a trade to Hamilton and a short stint in the NFL, the six-time all-star returned to the Alouettes as a coach and led the team to the 1970 Grey Cup championship.

Peter Dalla Riva, a former Alouettes tight end who played for Etcheverry in 1970, recalled a coach who was well liked by the entire locker room.

"I met Sam when I started in Montreal in 1968," said Dalla Riva. "Then I only knew him by his reputation as a great player. I remember watching him when he came to Hamilton when I was growing up.

"I think we won the Cup because of him. He had so much respect from the players. He was so good to us compared to what we had before. He was a player's coach."

Dalla Riva said that in June, Etcheverry came to Montreal from his home in North Hatley, Que., for an Alouettes pre-season game and was in "good spirits." That night, they retired the jersey of Hal Patterson, who was Etcheverry's favourite target during his playing career.

"He and Hal put football on the map in Montreal," said Dalla Riva.

Etcheverry continued working with the franchise after his coaching days were over, serving as president of the team's alumni association even when the Alouettes didn't have a team.

Toronto Argonauts consultant Nick Volpe, who joined the CFL club as a safety, kicker and backup quarterback in 1949, fondly remembers Etcheverry as being a winner on the field and a class act off it.

"He was an outstanding quarterback for many, many years," said Volpe. "But he was also a gentleman.

"You couldn't help but like him."

Etcheverry was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1969.

"All of us in the Canadian Football League feel a pang of sorrow, and a debt of gratitude, upon hearing of the passing of one of our legends, Sam Etcheverry," CFL commissioner Mark Cohon said in a statement. "He not only led his team on the field and later from the sideline; he was one of the superstars who helped lead our league into a modern, new age.

"Sam Etcheverry will be sorely missed, fondly remembered, and forever listed among the greats who carried our league forward, with each and every pass. Our thoughts are with his family and friends."

Details of Etcheverry's funeral will be released shortly, the Alouettes said in the release.