In his illustrious career with the Green and Gold, Brian Kelly helped Edmonton defeat the Calgary Stampeders five times on Labour Day, but the Canadian Football Hall of Fame receiver doesn’t recollect details from any of those triumphs.
Not of 1985, when Edmonton shocked the Stamps 34-28 after coming back from an 17-1 deficit in the first quarter.
Not of 1986, when he scored a pair of touchdowns in the first four minutes of a 42-19 rout for the Green and Gold.
All that comes to mind for Kelly is the 1982 edition of the Labour Day Classic, when Calgary beat the Green and Gold 32-20 in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the score would suggest.
It was the fifth defeat in six games for the Green and Gold, who suddenly found themselves last place in the Western Division with a 3-5 record at the midpoint of the season.
Edmonton’s quest for a fifth consecutive Grey Cup was in serious jeopardy, and after having seen his team struggle for several weeks, losing the annual holiday Monday match-up at McMahon Stadium was the last straw for EE coach Hugh Campbell. In a sombre visitor’s locker room following the game, Campbell stood before the four-time defending champs and laid his cards on the table.
“There was no ranting or raving, he just said, ‘Look, if you want to leave, you can, we’ll pay your contract out for the rest of the year,’” Kelly recalls Campbell telling the Edmonton players.
“It wasn’t threatening, it was just like, ‘Some of you guys have given it all, and maybe it’s at the end, maybe you do want to just go off into the sunset. And if you do, that’s ok, we’ll take care of your contract, everything will be honoured.’”
No one took Campbell up on his offer. To a man, they were all back at the next practice. And almost overnight, the Green and Gold transformed back into a juggernaut.
Edmonton won eight straight to close the regular season, winning those games by an average margin of nearly 20 points, and finished atop the West standings. The Green and Gold then beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-21 in the division final and doubled up the Toronto Argonauts 32-16 in the Grey Cup.
Ten consecutive wins to get a fifth straight championships.
“We just came from the depths, but it all started on all started on Labour Day in Calgary,” said Kelly, who scored two touchdowns in the 1982 Grey Cup. “If they wouldn’t have whipped us like they did (that might not have) started our big comeback.”
Kelly totalled 23 receptions for 374 yards with four touchdowns over eight Labour Day Classic games in his career. And while the EE Wall of Honour member might not remember specific plays, he still vividly recalls the sights and sounds, the energy and emotions.
“It was always marked on your calendar. There was no bigger game, that’s for sure.” Kelly says.
“The stands were always full, the weather was always perfect. It’s a rivalry game, it was with Calgary. We just hated Calgary. The red guys, we used to call them. And I call tell you, there was no love lost. And they hated us as much as we disliked them.”