WARMINGTON: Argos' Cinderella story just keeps on getting better
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You couldn’t write a script with more drama.
This championship comeback story is the stuff of movies where there is no need to hire actors to play the heroes. These sensational athletes can just play themselves.
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WARMINGTON: Argos' Cinderella story just keeps on getting better Back to video
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They certainly put up the performance of a lifetime Sunday in Regina.
About 24 hours after stunning the football world by winning the Grey Cup in dramatic fashion, Toronto Argonaut players landed at Pearson International, carrying a special passenger with them. And there was no problem getting the Grey Cup trophy through the airport’s metal detector.
“It feels amazing,” said Henoc Muamba, the legendary linebacker who was the iconic game’s Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Canadian Player. “We worked so hard for this moment, and we did it as a team.”
After defeating the previous back-to-back champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers on a blocked field goal, Muamba’s tears of joy were on full display. When he and coach Ryan Dinwiddie carried the cup from the airplane into Signature’s North Lounge Monday, he was all smiles.
This was a classic Grey Cup that will be talked about for years.
Whether it’s Andrew Harris winning his third Grey Cup by beating his old team, Robbie Smith’s incredible blocked field goal, Javon Leake’s solid kick returns, or A.J. Ouellette’s winning touchdown, there were plot lines and highlights that will be shared in stories for decades.
For Muamba and Dinwiddie, walking in with the Grey Cup was one of those special moments in Toronto’s history that will be long cherished. The Double Blue did it — when few thought they would.
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Muamba said something that is so important that is often overlooked in why the Boatmen were able to achieve this historic win.
“I am absolutely elated,” he said. “But I am looking forward to spending time with my family. Our families go through a lot, and they are a big part of what makes us successful.”
It was pretty cool to see all the moms, dads and the children sharing this special time as this great team brought the hardware home. What a great group of players this team has. The graciousness and sportsmanship was also nice to see.
This win was shared by two quarterbacks. One with an ear-to-ear grin in Chad Kelly, who came off the bench to lead the team to victory. And one with a cast on his hand in McLeod Bethel-Thompson who had the Argos in this game with a chance to win but saw his “thumb pop out” and “I couldn’t grip the ball.”
It meant Kelly had to come off the bench and lead the team at the most crucial time. His biggest supporter was the team’s No. 1 quarterback.
“I just said, ‘Me being out there wanting to finish the game is just ego, and we are well beyond that,’” said Bethel-Thompson. “He put a lot of hard work in, and it’s not about the individual. It’s not about me, it’s about we and us.”
Kelly agreed, saying his goal was to be ready should he be needed.
“That’s my job,” he said. “I love my teammates.”
Muamba said this group is a “family” and the championship is something they will share together forever.
On Thursday, Muamba and his teammates will share their championship victory with the whole city at a celebration held at Maple Leaf Square.
A-r-r-r-goooooos!
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