THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL -- The mourners who turned out to Sam Etcheverry's funeral on Thursday spoke of the former quarterbacking great with a mix of fondness and awe.

"He was the first of his kind in his era," said Larry Smith, the former Montreal Alouettes running back and current team president. "He opened up the passing game like no one else before him.

"Sam was an innovator."

More than 200 people, including former teammates from the 1950s and those like Smith who played for him when he coached the Alouettes in the early 1970s, filed into 162-year-old St. Patrick's Basilica to pay respects to Etcheverry, who died last week after a long battle with cancer. He was 79.

In his day, Etcheverry was as popular with Montreal fans as hockey stars Maurice (Rocket) Richard and Jean Beliveau.

Known as The Rifle for his powerful arm, Etcheverry electrified fans with his bullet passing in an age when most teams preferred to run the ball.

The CFL only began keeping individual statistics two years into his nine-year career from 1952 to 1960, but his 30,030 career passing yards, although long since passed, was more than double any other quarterback of that era.

His favourite targets were Hal Patterson, Red O'Quinn and Joey Pal, with first Chuck Hunsinger and then Pat Abruzzi running the ball.

Together, they dominated the Big Four, which now is the CFL East Division. But although they reached the Grey Cup game easily three years in a row from 1954 to 1956, each time they were beaten by the Edmonton Eskimos.

"The only thing against Sam, and which we often reminded him of, is he'd say, 'I wish I could run as fast as you,"' recalled Ivan Livingstone, a receiver from 1957 to 1960, with a laugh. "Sam was always one that had to stick in the pocket. He'd never get outside and skirt the ends."

Etcheverry was the son of Basque sheep farmers who emigrated to New Mexico. Alouettes coach Douglas (Peahead) Walker reached out for Etcheverry after his stellar career at the University of Denver because he said he liked his throwing motion. By the end of his rookie season in 1952, he was the starting quarterback in Montreal.

The Alouettes struggled that year and the next, but when Patterson joined the team in 1954, they went 11-3. Their 341 points scored in 14 games was 86 more than any other CFL team.

In the Grey Cup game, they led 25-20 and were on the Edmonton 10-yard line with less than three minutes left in the game when Etcheverry gave the ball to Hunsinger, who fumbled. Eskimos star Jackie Parker picked it up and galloped 90 yards for a stunning 26-25 victory.

The 1955 and 1956 Grey Cups were clear Edmonton wins, as the team led by Parker and running backs Normie Kwong and Johnny Bright proved too much even for Etcheverry's quick-strike offence.

The Alouettes never threatened again.

In 1960, Patterson had differences with new coach Perry Moss and, to the horror of Alouettes fans, at the end of the season he traded the star receiver and Etcheverry to Hamilton for Bernie Faloney and Don Paquette.

But Etcheverry's contract stated he couldn't be traded without his consent and he opted instead to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals of the NFL, where he played two seasons. That meant Faloney stayed with Hamilton and the trade became Patterson for Paquette.

The Alouettes did not threaten for another decade, but things began to turn around in 1970 when Sam Berger bought the club and brought in O'Quinn as general manager, J.I Albrecht as director of player personnel and Etcheverry as head coach.

Sixteen new players were brought in and by the end of the season they had a 7-6-1 record with Sonny Wade at quarterback and beat Calgary 23-10 in the Grey Cup game, with Etcheverry finally getting the ring he missed out on as a player.

"I thought he was a great coach," said Peter Dalla Riva, a star receiver on Etcheverry's team, which also featured running back Moses Denson, defensive back Larry Fairholm and receiver Terry Evenshen.

"But something happened after 1971 and 1972. There were inside office problems and Sam just wanted to coach and stay away from it. Sam got out of it and got into the business world."

Etcheverry became a stockbroker, but stayed close to football and the team. He briefly served as president of the team, which had been renamed the Concordes, in 1982. And he stayed active in the alumni association and in charity events, even during the 1987 to 1996 period when the city was without a CFL team.

"His legacy is that he was a young man who came from the United States and was a superstar in the CFL, but the important thing was that he stayed here, while many people went home to where the came from," said Smith, who delivered the eulogy at the funeral. "He became a citizen and loved Montreal, loved Quebec and loved Canada. That's kind of neat."

Etcheverry moved out to the country in North Hatley, Que., in his later years and had been mostly out of the public eye in recent years while battling his illness.

"We're saddened, but for Sam, we feel he's in a better place now," Smith said. "No one should suffer like he had to do for the last couple of years of his life."

Etcheverry is survived by his wife Sinikka and four of his five children Steve, Mike, Nancy and Jennifer and five grandchildren.