JOHNSON AND ANSELMO ENTER HALL OF FAME

Two long-serving members of the Calgary Stampeders family were added to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame honour roll Friday night in Winnipeg.

A.G. (Tony) Anselmo, who has served the Stampeders as a director, president and advisor for four decades, and linebacker Alondra Johnson, who wore the Red and White for 13 seasons, were both enshrined as part of the Class of 2009.

Also inducted into the Hall of Fame was offensive lineman Rudy Phillips, who wound up his Canadian Football League career with one season in Calgary in 1988 after spending the bulk of his time with the Ottawa Rough Riders and Edmonton Eskimos.

Anselmo, a 91-year-old native of Michel, B.C., joined the Stampeders as a director in 1967 and became president in 1973. As president of the McMahon Stadium Society, he was instrumental in the major improvements to the stadium in the mid-1970s and played a key role in the campaign to save the Stampeders from possible bankruptcy and extinction in the ’80 and ’90s until the franchise found solid footing.

“The football club has been a second home for me,” said Anselmo. “I got involved in 1968 when I came to the Stampeders and became a director and stayed until 2007. All those years, I was with the football club in one way or another.”

“A sport will only be as good as the people who devote their personal time to that sport’s betterment,” said Stampeders executive vice-president Stan Schwartz, who worked with Anselmo both through the football club and the McMahon Stadium Society. “By that yardstick, Canadian football is better because of Tony Anselmo’s commitment over the years.”

Johnson, a Los Angeles native and West Texas State alum, joined the Stamps in 1991 after two seasons with the BC Lions and became one of the most ferocious competitors in the history of the CFL. He made 1,085 career tackles, was All-Canadian in 1995, 1998 and 2000 and he was a division all-star on no fewer than six occasions.

The Red and White posted 11 straight winning seasons upon Johnson’s arrival and made six trips to the Grey Cup championship game, winning three titles.

“It’s a very big honour to be elected to the Hall of Fame and I feel very excited,” said Johnson. “I just want to thank all the teammates I’ve played with through the years because they were the guys who made it all possible. I’d also like to thank the fans — they were there and they were part of the big picture, too. It’s truly an honour and I feel this brings some closure to my career.”

The other 2009 inductees are former Montreal Alouettes and Concordes defensive lineman Glen Weir and former BC Lions offensive lineman Jim Mills.

Exclusive Tony Anselmo feature
Exclusive Alondra Johnson feature