Widger was more than a football player in Montreal, he was a well-loved local celebrity.
Newspaper columnists once celebrated whimsy, charm, friendship and charisma by gushing over people like Widger, who played on the Montreal Alouettes for seven years, from 1970-76 and became known as Crescent Street Mike for the hours he logged in at various drinking spots on the strip.
Widger was an excellent defensive ballplayer with a knack for picking up fumbles and was in Montreal for some of the city's most dramatic moments, including martial law during the October Crisis of 1970 and that season's unlikely Grey Cup triumph, in which heavily-guarded MNA George Springate played backup kicker for the team.
He played alongside Johnny "the Ordinary Superstar" Rogers and was here during the Olympics and the election of the Parti Quebecois, both in 1976.
He went on to play two seasons in Ottawa but vowed to return and settle in Montreal where he said he owned part of a house painting business.
He did not.
Newspaper columnists like Tim Burke and Ted Blackman would buddy up to him and quip about his latest antics, as would radio station hosts, which included one morning man who - according to legend - once called his hotel room on air, only to broadcast the answer of someone who was not his girlfriend picking up the phone. Big ooops.One 1974 profile interviewed Widger's mom, who described her third son as being raised to not be a sissy, so when he was caught with beer in the car she was somewhat relieved.
But she did not cotton much to his snickering after breaking an opponent's leg during a game.
The article notes that he takes after his grandfather. "He was a big Irishman with an enormous capacity for the drink."
Widger's celebrity reflects a culture that has died, as today's athletes are highly-paid robots with predictable notions and quotes. The whimsical brotherhood of hard-drinking journalists and the charming, well-celebrated allies they reported on has long disappeared.
Pretty sure I had that card. One note, though, the 1969 Grey Cup at the Autostade was the one most remembered for security. the game itself was between Ottawa and Saskatchewan. In 1970 the Als won but the game was in Toronto. TSN made a pretty good documentary about the 69 game, part of their Engraved on a Nation series. Here's an article about the episode: https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/cfl-55-yard-line/interview-playing-dangerous-game-director-john-walker-flq-215645898.html
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear of Mike's passing. He was a friend of mine and a group of us would party with him at the Sir Winston Churchill Pub on Crescent St in the mid 70s. He was so funny and definitely loved to party. I don't remember every seeing Mike not drunk. LOL We lost touch when I moved to Toronto in 1978. To this day I remember his great laugh. God bless you Mike and thanks for the memories.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the lateness of this comment. I just learned of his passing. Mike was a good friend of mine in college. He was a man's man and a good guy. Rest in peace, Mike Widger.
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