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February 12, 2015

Throwback Thursday: CFL Legend J.C. Watts

Scott Grant

By: CFL Staff
Photo: Scott Grant

J.C. Watts captured the imaginations of Canadian Football fans everywhere with his natural ability to escape pass rushers and scramble, as well as with his unmatched physical strength and sportsmanship. The well-spoken Watts entertained CFL audiences for six seasons before returning home to Oklahoma to begin a sparkling political career and is now known as Congressman J.C. Watts.

Born in Eufaula, in the football-crazy state of Oklahoma, on November 18th, 1957, Julius Caesar (J.C.) was the second youngest of six children born to the Watts family.

Watts excelled in high school athletics – particularly in football – and, as a sophomore in high school, was noticed by coach Barry Switzer of the powerhouse Oklahoma University Sooner football program. It wasn’t difficult to recruit J.C. away from rival Oklahoma State University, as coach Switzer later related “The Sooners were Watts’ favourite college football team.”

J.C. grew up watching the Sooners and listed amongst his idols, brothers Lee Roy, Lucious and Dewey Selmon along with quarterback Steve Lott. In 1977, Watts became part of the storied Sooner legacy and played on the same field as his idols in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium located in Norman, Oklahoma.

Watts emerged as the starting Sooner QB in 1979 and led a wishbone-style offence and punctuated the regular season with an Orange Bowl victory over the Nebraska Cornhusker (31-24) in which J.C. was named game MVP. But Watts made Oklahoma Sooner football history the following season, when, as a senior, he quarterbacked his team to a second consecutive Orange Bowl victory, collecting 127 rushing yards and his second game MVP award. With the victory, Watts became the first and only quarterback in Oklahoma’s 90-year history to lead his team to consecutive Orange Bowl victories.

Without Watts to lead them in 1981, the Sooners fell to 7-4-1 and were unable to win a third consecutive Orange Bowl. But Watts had moved on. The scrambling, gambling, big-play quarterback graduated from Oklahoma University with a degree in journalism and looked optimistically ahead to a possible professional football career.

J.C. was drafted by the New York Jets in the National Football League’s 1981 draft in the eighth round, (213th overall). But like many black quarterbacks who come through run-oriented systems like Oklahoma’s, Watts was projected as a running back by the Jets and ultimately, J.C. signed as a free agent quarterback with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League.

When Ottawa took a chance on the articulate Sooner, all observers of the CFL benefited, as this young man would become one of the most spectacular quarterbacks in Ottawa football history. And almost immediately, J.C. made an historic impact that will be talked about as long as there is a Grey Cup game.

The year was 1981 and the Ottawa quarterback situation was unsettled. Incumbent backup quarterback Jordan Case would duel Watts for the starting job, vacated by Condredge Holloway, who had been traded to the Toronto Argonauts. Although Case finished the season with 67 more passes thrown than Watts (209 to 142), it was Watts who got the start for the playoffs.

In what is considered one of the most unusual results in Eastern Division history, Ottawa finished with a disappointing 5 – 11 record, yet represented the East in the 1981 Grey Cup game. As then-Ottawa Head Coach George Brancato later remembered: “That year I put together three teams. We had a bad team to start the season, then a fair one, and then a pretty good one.”

The improbable ride started in the 1981 East Semi-Final where the Riders met and defeated the sagging 3-13 Montreal Alouettes, 20-16. This led to a showdown with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and to one of the most unlikely plays of the 1981 playoffs. With Hamilton leading 13-10 in the closing moments, a harried Watts found receiver Pat Stoqua underneath a Hamilton deep-zone coverage for a 108-yard pitch and run, which ultimately upset a formidable 11-4-1 Tiger-Cat team, coached by the hard-driven Frank Kush.

Said Rufus Crawford, the likeable Tiger-Cat halfback after the match, “We lost on the last play of the game. J.C. Watts…took the snap from centre at the Ottawa goal line; our defence had the pressure on and forced J.C. to scramble. He was deep in his own end zone when he spotted Pat Stoqua and tossed him the ball. Pat ran about 108 yards for a TD to win the game. The worst part was that Pat Stoqua couldn’t run a seven-second-flat in the 40-yard dash. But we couldn’t catch him.” With the major, the game ended with the Rough Riders on top 17 – Hamilton 13.

This result matched the Riders against arguably the most powerful team in CFL history. Led by Warren Moon (ironically sharing J.C.’s November 18th birthday) and the likes of Dave Fennell, Dan Kepley and Jim Germany. This juggernaut Eskimo team had finished an intimidating 14-1-1 and had set the record for most points scored in a single CFL season with a staggering 576 points. By comparison, Ottawa’s 5-11 record remains the worst record for a Grey Cup finalist in history.

But these Riders believed themselves perfectly capable of upsetting the three-time defending Grey Cup champions and very nearly interrupted the Green and Gold’s eventual five-Cup streak.

Ottawa took hope from their defeat of the Tiger-Cats as the Hamiltonians had been one of two teams to sully Edmonton’s near-perfect record, having tied the Green and Gold 34-34 (The Saskatchewan Roughriders recorded Edmonton’s only defeat in ’81).

As it turned out, it took the greatest comeback in Grey Cup history to stop the surging Riders. Ottawa moved ahead on touchdown runs by running backs Jim Reid and Sam Platt and held the momentum and a 20-1 lead at the half. Ageing backup quarterback Tom Wilkinson entered the game in the third quarter and “calmed” the Eskimos and eventually gave way to Moon once more. The gambit succeeded and Edmonton eventually scored a late touchdown and frantic two-point conversion to tie the game. Dave Cutler zippered the victory with a very late field goal as Edmonton outlasted Ottawa 26-23.

But despite Edmonton’s heroism in overcoming a 19 point half-time deficit (a Grey Cup record comeback), Ottawa claimed the most valuable players of the game. John Glassford was selected defensive MVP while the courageous but disappointed J.C. Watts was selected offensive MVP.

After a hiatus in 1982, J.C. returned to the Riders in 1983 and was backed up at quarterback by childhood admirer Prince McJunkins, “When I was a kid, my idol in high school football was J.C. Watts. I’m from Oskogi, Oklahoma and he played high school football in a town 40 miles away.”

Watts confirmed his reputation by posting some of the best numbers of his career. With the addition of feared wide receiver Ty Gray from the BC Lions and 1,431 yard rushing season from fleet halfback Skip Walker, Ottawa’ offence was one to be reckoned with. Indeed, Watts’ 17.7 yards per completion led the CFL in ’83, while Walker averaged a fat 6.0 yards per carry despite carrying 238 times. Thus, Ottawa improved from back-to-back 5-11 seasons to finish 8-8. But in the East Semi-Final, Hamilton avenged their ’81 and ’82 playoff losses to Ottawa with a 33-31 victory. Watts was valiant in defeat, passing for 303 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

Watts quarterbacked the Rough Riders to many more compelling finishes over the next two years and maintained a high standard of offensive excellence and leadership. It was the first time in years that Ottawa fans could count on one man being the starter in the nation’s capital. Watts averaged 3,013 yards passing over 1984 and ’85 while throwing for 33 total touchdowns. Along the ground, Watts carried the ball 167 times for an average of 6.4 yards per carry over the same two seasons. But early and abruptly in the 1986 season, Watts was released by the Rough Riders and picked up by the Toronto Argonauts. It was to be Watts’ last season.

In joining the Argonauts, Watts rejoined Bob O’Billovich who had been an Ottawa assistant coach during their mercurial season of 1981. O’Billovich was now at the helm in Toronto and was enduring yet another injury to regular starter Condredge Holloway. Watts was called upon to salvage the Argonauts’ season and he responded with his most accurate passing campaign, throwing 182 passes for a 59.3% completion rate. Watts led the Argos to a 6-5 record over the remainder of the season, his first winning record in the CFL while rushing for 6.5 yards per carry.

The 1986 playoffs saw another splendid performance by Watts in yet another losing cause. Once again facing the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Watts was involved in making history as the Argos and Tiger-Cats renewed their passionate rivalry with the first two-game total-points playoff match-up since 1972. Watts finished the two games with four passing TDs and 12 rushes for an average of 7.3 yards per carry. But Watts and the Boatmen succumbed to a gallant comeback marshalled by Tiger-Cat rookie pivot Mike Kerrigan, losing on total points, 59-56. In this, his final season, Watts’ toughness was underscored as he endured 44 of a still-standing record 103 Toronto sacks given up in 1986.

In retrospect, the Watts’ years for Ottawa fans were in essence the first time that one quarterback was the undisputed long-term leader of the offence since legendary Russ Jackson was the prime pivot in Ottawa in the sixties. Jackson’s shadow loomed into the eighties and haunted Watts who occasionally endured the “boo-birds” at Lansdowne (now Frank Clair) Stadium. J.C. seemed at time unable to satisfy a small percentage of fickle Ottawa fans and often laboured unappreciated and undermanned.

Some may argue that J.C. was never surrounded by the type of talent Jackson had the benefit of playing with. While Jackson’s offence relied on Hall of Famers such as Ron Stewart, Bobby Simpson, Kay Vaughan and Dave Thelen, none of Watt’s offensive mates are in the Hall. Regardless, J.C. Watts may be better appreciated in terms of history. When asked to name an Ottawa quarterback after 1981, most Ottawa football fans will name J.C. Watts as one of their favourites. One of the physically strongest and most gifted athletes ever to play the position in the CFL, J.C. Watts leaves electric memories of fine football moments for the Ottawa Rough Riders and will always be considered one of the best to play the game.

Since leaving the CFL, J.C. Watts has developed a very successful political career and is now Congressman J.C. Watts of the Republican Party of the United States. Upon returning to Oklahoma in 1987, Watts posted as a Youth Minister at Sunnylane Southern Baptist Church in Del City Oklahoma until 1994 when he advanced to the Associate Pastor. In addition, Watts was elected to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission in 1990 and maintained his position until 1994 when he sought the Fourth District Congressional Seat. He was elected to the US House of Representatives in November, 1994 and was re-elected in 1998. He is considered an eloquent spokesman and leader and is acclaimed for his work in improving the education system and balancing the budget.

J.C. Watts continues to serves as a Congressman and now makes his home with his wife and five children in Norman, Oklahoma, home of his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma.