EDMONTON – Tom Wilkinson was as unique as he was undeniable.
As the first member of the club’s 1970s All-Decade Team to be revealed, there may not be a more important player to grace the colours of the Green and Gold.
It’s impossible to win consistently in the Canadian Football League if you don’t have a quarterback. The 1960s Edmonton Esks squads found that out as they underwent over a decade of mediocrity or worse as they struggled to replace franchise icons like Jackie Parker and Don Getty.
The club did come close once, according to legend. In a story told by former director and club executive Jack Agrios in the EE Epic Legacies book, Edmonton was a $500 dispute away from signing a University of Georgia teammate of 1960s All-Decade team members OL Pat Dye and K Bobby Walden. That teammate? Future Pro Football Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton.
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Instead, the Green and Gold trotted out a merry-go-round of forgettable quarterbacks such as: Lynn Amedee, Bill Redell, Randy Kerbow, Frank Cosentino, and Corey Colehour. In 1971, the final season before Wilkinson’s arrival, Edmonton went 6-10 and their leading passer Larry Lawrence finished the season with three passing touchdowns and 18 interceptions.
It wasn’t until the team acquired a journeyman quarterback, who was cast away by the B.C. Lions in 1972, that the Double E’s fortunes would change. Legendary kicker Dave Cutler, who had been there for a few of the more miserable years from 1969 to 1971 recounted how important ‘Wilkie’ was in changing the fortunes in Edmonton.
Tom Wilkinson (left) with EE Head Coach Ray Jauch (middle) and Bruce Lemmerman (right)
“Tom Wilkinson came along, and he was just amazing. He was the net, he was the glue, he was the thing,” Cutler said. “He was the person that really took us over the top, and he was just an amazing guy. So, it was people (like Wilkie) and talent that got us to where we got.”
Wilkinson was far from your prototypical quarterback. Generously listed at 5-foot-11, he was a scrambler behind the line of scrimmage and he used his moxie and intelligence to frustrate his opponents over pure athleticism. His willingness to take the big hit to make a play for his team was a testament to his toughness. Despite being a part of the Esks two-quarterback system for much of his tenure — splitting time with Bruce Lemmerman early in his career and Warren Moon at the end – Wilkie never missed a game as a member of the Green and Gold.
“He had a different type of style than most other quarterbacks did, but I thought that’s what made us so special is I had one style and he had another,” Moon said. “Every team that played us had to prepare for both of our styles and within three or four days that you had to get ready for a game, you really didn’t have enough time to prepare for both of us. So, we were very effective.”
Most of all, Wilkinson was a winner. While that term is loosely tossed around for players where it’s difficult to tangibly quantify their success, it is true in Wilkie’s case. His arrival in Edmonton kicked off a 34 consecutive year post-season streak, still a North American pro sports record. He helped the Green and Gold win their first Grey Cup in nearly 20 years in 1975 and made the team a fixture in the CFL’s final game — winning five Grey Cups in eight appearances.
His teammates credit him as a galvanizing force that made the Double E a special team, and a force to be reckoned with in Canadian Football.
“Everybody he was dealing with had something special that he could use as a quarterback,” Cutler said. “He got the best out of them, and he saw things in others that other people didn’t see.”
Wilkinson was also an expert at using the tricks of the trade to help his team win and was infamous for his use of the hard count to draw teams offside.
“He would say ‘GO’ and the defensive line would come,” Cutler said. “Then when they tried to get back onside, Wilkie’s coming up with a snap count and we’re driving over top of those guys that are going backwards.”
“It was just a little wee thing that he could pick out the smallest details and then weave them into the fabric of what he was trying to be as a quarterback.”
Wilkinson being directed by legendary EE coach Hugh Campbell
Wilkinson ended his career as the oldest player in the league at 38 years old. The 1974 CFL Most Outstanding Player was still a contributor to the franchise on and off the field. In 1981 he threw for 1,293 yards and eight touchdowns, but his most important pass may be the knowledge and experience he passed on to the man who would become a pro-football legend in Warren Moon.
“Tom is a guy that probably is somebody that I give as much credit for my success up here as anybody, because he was a star player when I got here, and he sees this young guy coming in from the United States wanting to take his job, and he could have totally turned his back on me and not given me any type of direction or anything like that. But, he wasn’t that way,” Moon said about Wilkie’s leadership. “He was very open to me. He really taught me the game. He taught me the different style of game up here in Canada. He taught me how to study.”
“We talked a lot about personnel because he knew all the personnel from the different teams that we were playing. So, he was a tremendous help to me.”
Upon Wilkinson’s retirement, the franchise legend became the first player inducted onto the EE Wall of Honour in 1982 and was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame five years later.
Tom Wilkinson as the head coach of the University of Alberta Golden Bears
His contribution to Green and Gold football and the city of Edmonton continued well past his days as a quarterback, coaching the University of Alberta Golden Bears until 2001. The man affectionately known as Wilkie was a beloved franchise icon and is the first player revealed on the EE’s 1970s All-Decade team.
The rest of the 1970s All-Decade team has been revealed. The remainder of the all-decade teams will be revealed at each of the Double E’s subsequent home games, culminating in a fan vote for the all-time team and the greatest collection of players to ever wear the Green and Gold.