Year of the Rocket is a fun foray into the Canadian Football League

For football fans interested in a good story they may not know, Paul Woods’ new book about the CFL, Year of the Rocket, is worth seeking out.

For most Americans, the Canadian Football League is a curiosity. It is the place where Warren Moon and Doug Flutie played before they became NFL stars. It’s the odd league with the oversized field that few in the United States have ever paid attention to. Yet there was a brief moment when the CFL, deep in a financial hole that had left the future of the league uncertain, attempted to broaden its appeal and make itself relevant to its southern neighbors. The full story of this ill-fated but entertaining attempt is told in Paul Woods’ new book Year of the Rocket, an entertaining romp through the world of Canadian football.

In 1991, the CFL was on the verge of collapsing. Interest had waned and money was tight. One team had already collapsed a few years prior and more than half of the league’s franchises were in “precarious condition.” It was at this moment that a trio of saviors arrived. Bruce McNall, the owner of the Los Angeles Kings wanted to buy the Toronto Argonauts. He was joined by Wayne Gretzky and actor John Candy, whose celebrity status would give the team some much-needed publicity. The three men poured money into advertising the team, trying to make each contest an event rather than a mere game. As Candy told his assistant, “We need hysteria, we need craziness.” They stumbled upon plenty of it.

The Canadian Football League knew it needed a big move to survive

The new owners wanted to make the biggest possible move to arouse excitement throughout Canada, and potentially in the United States as well. To do this, they signed Notre Dame star Raghib “Rocket” Ismail, who had just finished second in Heisman voting while establishing himself as one of the nation’s most dynamic players. It was a massive coup and to sign him, all the Argonauts had to do was pay him the largest contract in football history — American or Canadian. The CFL had signed American players before but never had they signed someone projected to be the NFL’s number one pick.

By bringing Ismail to the Argonauts, Toronto’s ownership was trying to do for Canadian football what Gretzky’s arrival in Los Angeles had done for hockey in the United States. Gretzky’s presence in California had taken the sport to new heights and these owners. Now, Argonauts owners hoped that bringing a highly touted player across international lines would arouse curiosity and interest in an American public that had never before cared about the CFL. The problem was that Ismail, fresh out of college, was not Gretzky in terms of talent or personality.

Great as Ismail was, he could not be The Great One. Though a vital part of what made the Argonauts dangerous, he was not the transformative talent that the team had hoped. Also, the Rocket was much more introverted and found the publicity demands overwhelming, often choosing to withdraw from the media or just not show up at all.

By the end of his second year with the Argonauts, both he and the team were ready to move on. He was tired of having to be a savior and the team was frustrated that he was not living up to his side of the deal, publicity-wise. Also, they just needed to get out from under his massive contact. In 1993, Ismail left Toronto and joined the Los Angeles Raiders, bringing this strange era to a close.

Woods does a good job of capturing the craziness of this brief period, both its highs and lows, as well as the characters who played a large role in it. This is especially true of the lesser-known Argonauts such as Matt Dunigan and Michael “Pinball” Clemons, who are both members of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, in addition to coaches, Don Matthews and Adam Rita, whose high octane offenses now seem years ahead of their time.

There are also the behind the scene machinations, indiscretions, and deceptions that led to the ultimate downfall of McNall and this ownership group. The league failed to fully vet him in their eagerness to revive the CFL, learning too late that if something appears too good to be true, that’s often because it is. Altogether, the book chronicles the exploits of this team and its leaders both on and off the field in a way that is enjoyable throughout.

Woods’ book should appeal to all sports fans, regardless of whether or not they’ve ever sat down and watched a CFL game. Year of the Rocket captures an iconic team, a pivotal period in CFL history, and a number of true characters that come together to create an engaging read. And since many stateside readers will be unfamiliar with the story, there will also be the thrill of discovery since most will not already know how the story ends. Football fans interested in Rocket Ismail’s brief northern sojourn or in a good story will find much to enjoy in Year of the Rocket.