CFL Career
Gabriel's first CFL year with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1971, was rather mediocre, with only 20 catches for 265 yards and one touchdown. With rookie quarterback Chuck Ealey in 1972 Gabriel caught 49 passes for 733 yards and 3 scores during the season and helped the team win the Grey Cup over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. After the 1974 season he joined the Ottawa Roughriders. With Ottawa he had five seasons of over 1000 yards receiving, including four consecutive seasons from 1975 to 1978, with the other in 1981. In 1976 and 1977 Gabriel led the CFL in receiving yards with 1320 and 1362 respectively. There would not be another Canadian receiver with this accomplishment until the Stampeders' Dave Sapunjis in 1993.
The 1976 Grey Cup game is perhaps what fans most remember of Gabriel, with his late fourth quarter touchdown catch from Tom Clements that won the game over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. In 1978 he was awarded the Schenley Award for the Most Valuable Player in the CFL, becoming the first Canadian to win the prize in almost 10 years. No Canadian has won the award since. In his career Gabriel was chosen ten consecutive times as the EFC's all-star tight end from 1972 to 1981. As well he was named to the league's all star team as the tight end in 1972 and from 1974 to 1980.
The 1981 Grey Cup game saw the Rough Riders play the Edmonton Eskimos. Gabriel entered the game with a partial ligament tear in his left knee. Late in the game following a questionable penalty, Gabriel left the game when his knee finally gave out, never to play professionally again. At the time, Gabriel stood at third among the all-time receivers behind only Tom Scott and Tommy Joe Coffey. This also made him first among Canadian receivers. In his 11 seasons, he caught 614 passes for 9832 yards and 69 touchdowns.
He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in August 1984 and in November 2006, was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players (#18) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network The Sports Network/TSN.
As of 1999 Gabriel has resided in Oakville, Ontario with his wife Susanne.
Read more about this topic: Tony Gabriel
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“A black boxer’s career is the perfect metaphor for the career of a black male. Every day is like being in the gym, sparring with impersonal opponents as one faces the rudeness and hostility that a black male must confront in the United States, where he is the object of both fear and fascination.”
—Ishmael Reed (b. 1938)