Pinball never felt over looked
Courtesy Winnipeg Free Press:
It’s taken nearly eight years, but Mike (Pinball) Clemons can finally call himself a Hall of Famer.
Professional football’s most dynamic special-teams star is headed to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. And he’s just one member of a star-studded class of 2008.
Former star quarterback Doug Flutie, CFL rushing leader Mike Pringle and all-star offensive lineman John Bonk were also among the players named to the Hall on Wednesday while former Saskatchewan Roughriders president Tom Shepherd will be enshrined as a builder at a ceremony in September.
Clemons appeared a slam-dunk selection when he retired as a player in 2000 to become the Toronto Argonauts’ head coach. But unlike Pringle, who’s getting in just four years after retiring, Clemons had to wait twice as long before getting the call.
There was a huge outcry last year when Clemons was bypassed but Clemons says he never felt snubbed.
“You might find it odd but I don’t know that I truly expected it because I just loved the game,” Clemons said during a news conference. “I do get all the numbers stuff… but you know what, I was just doing what I loved to do.
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