Gerry Dattilio
Encyclopedia
Gerry Dattilio is a former professional Canadian football
quarterback
in the Canadian Football League
.
Chiefs in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when he won a City Championship by beating St. Thomas High School
of Pointe-Claire, Quebec
. He also played in the Quebec Junior Football League
with the Verdun Maple Leafs
.
He attended the University of Northern Colorado
playing for the Bears from 1972 to 1974. He led the Bears in rushing as a quarterback in 1972 and 1973 and led the team in passing yards in both 1973 (1,367 yards, 18 TDs) and 1974 (1,367 yards, 14 TDs). He ranks 10th on the Bears' all-time passing yards list with 2,953 passing yards and was an All-Great Plains Conference player in both 1973 and 1974.
, but after a time on the injury list he was released in September and then the next month he signed with the Toronto Argonauts
. He played a single game for the Argos and did not record any statistics. The next season he was released by the Argonauts, rejoined the Alouettes, and served as the third string quarterback behind Sonny Wade
and Joe Barnes
. Also as a utility player Dattilio returned punts, but seized the chance at playing more at quarterback in 1978. While he led the team in pass attempts with 142, with 78 completions, that season, he was second in passing yards with 1120. Dattilio also had 9 interceptions and 5 touchdowns. However in 1979 Barnes was the clear cut starter and with a run heavy offence there was not many opportunities for Dattilio to play. In 1980 that all changed when a struggling Barnes was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders
after six games. That season Dattilio became an all star quarterback, throwing for 2892 yards and 19 touchdowns and winning the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award
and was the eastern nominee for the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
. He threw 5 TDs against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
on September 21, 1980. The next season saw Dattilio demoted to back-up in making way for NFL star quarterback Vince Ferragamo
. However Ferragamo struggled for most of the 1981 season and Dattilio played enough to tally 1095 aerial yards. Prior to the 1982 season he was traded to the Calgary Stampeders
. That year he threw for 2788 yards, marking the most recent time in which a Canadian quarterback threw for over 2000 in a season. Dattilio completed 194 out of 387 and had only 11 touchdowns to 22 interceptions. 1983 saw him used mostly as a back-up, this time to first year quarterback Bernard Quarles
, but got in enough playing time to throw for 1213 yards. In March, 1984, Dattilio was traded back to the Alouettes where he served as a back-up or a third string quarterback for two seasons.
Among Canadian quarterbacks Dattilio is second all-time in statistics with 9952 passing yards on 697 completions from 1271 attempts with 53 touchdowns to 79 interceptions. He also had 993 rushing yards on 189 carries and added eight more touchdowns. He appeared in three Grey Cup games: 1977, 1978, and 1979, but did not throw any passes. Instead, in 1977, he was used as a receiver and caught two passes for 39 yards in the Alouettes' victory over the Edmonton Eskimos
.
He is presently a business person in Calgary
, and was inducted into Northern Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004 and had the Gerry Dattilio Sportsfield named after him in Laval, Quebec
, in honour of his great Chomedy High School playing days.
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
in the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
.
Early years
Dattilio played his high school football with the ChomedeyChomedey, Quebec
Chomedey is a neighbourhood in the southwest of the city of Laval and was a separate municipality until the municipal mergers on August 6, 1965. Named after Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, part of the neighbourhood had previously been known as L'Abord à Plouffe, and was once part of the seigneurie...
Chiefs in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when he won a City Championship by beating St. Thomas High School
St. Thomas High School (Quebec)
St. Thomas High School is a high school in the municipality of Pointe-Claire, situated in Quebec, Canada. It is a member of the International Baccalaureate Organization's certified Middle Years Programme. It is the second largest high school operated by the Lester B. Pearson School Board in...
of Pointe-Claire, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. He also played in the Quebec Junior Football League
Quebec Junior Football League
The Quebec Junior Football League operated from 1970 to the present, as a successor to the Quebec Juvenile Football League. It began competition as a conference of the Canadian Junior Football League from which it eventually withdrew. Upon withdrawal from the CJFL, the QJFL incorporated teams from...
with the Verdun Maple Leafs
Notre-Dame-de-Grace Maple Leafs
The Notre-Dame-de-Grace Maple Leafs also known as the NDG Maple Leafs were a junior Canadian football team based in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec from 1946 to 1973...
.
He attended the University of Northern Colorado
University of Northern Colorado
-Organization:The University of Northern Colorado offers 100 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs. The university has a satellite campus in Denver, Colorado...
playing for the Bears from 1972 to 1974. He led the Bears in rushing as a quarterback in 1972 and 1973 and led the team in passing yards in both 1973 (1,367 yards, 18 TDs) and 1974 (1,367 yards, 14 TDs). He ranks 10th on the Bears' all-time passing yards list with 2,953 passing yards and was an All-Great Plains Conference player in both 1973 and 1974.
Professional career
In 1975, Dattilio was the first territorial exemption of the Montreal AlouettesMontreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
, but after a time on the injury list he was released in September and then the next month he signed with the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
. He played a single game for the Argos and did not record any statistics. The next season he was released by the Argonauts, rejoined the Alouettes, and served as the third string quarterback behind Sonny Wade
Sonny Wade
Sonny Wade born April 1, 1947 in Martinsville, Virginia, a graduate of the "powerhouse" football program at Emory and Henry College in Virginia, and played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League from 1969 to 1978....
and Joe Barnes
Joe Barnes
Joe Barnes was an all-star quarterback in the Canadian Football League.Barnes was a graduate of Texas Tech University, playing from 1971 to 1973, and was inducted into the Texas Tech Athletic Hall of Honor in 1986. His senior year, he dated Dianna Delp. They married June of 1974...
. Also as a utility player Dattilio returned punts, but seized the chance at playing more at quarterback in 1978. While he led the team in pass attempts with 142, with 78 completions, that season, he was second in passing yards with 1120. Dattilio also had 9 interceptions and 5 touchdowns. However in 1979 Barnes was the clear cut starter and with a run heavy offence there was not many opportunities for Dattilio to play. In 1980 that all changed when a struggling Barnes was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
after six games. That season Dattilio became an all star quarterback, throwing for 2892 yards and 19 touchdowns and winning the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award
CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award
The Most Outstanding Canadian Award is annually rewarded to the best Canadian player in the Canadian Football League. This is the second-last award to be given during the CFL Awards banquet, which takes place the week before Grey Cup weekend in the same city where it is hosted. The two nominees...
and was the eastern nominee for the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
The Most Outstanding Player Award is annually awarded to the best player in the Canadian Football League. The Most Outstanding Player award can be compared to the National Football League's Most Valuable Player, otherwise known as the "MVP" award...
. He threw 5 TDs against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
on September 21, 1980. The next season saw Dattilio demoted to back-up in making way for NFL star quarterback Vince Ferragamo
Vince Ferragamo
Vince Anthony Ferragamo is a former professional football player, a quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League.-College career:...
. However Ferragamo struggled for most of the 1981 season and Dattilio played enough to tally 1095 aerial yards. Prior to the 1982 season he was traded to the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
. That year he threw for 2788 yards, marking the most recent time in which a Canadian quarterback threw for over 2000 in a season. Dattilio completed 194 out of 387 and had only 11 touchdowns to 22 interceptions. 1983 saw him used mostly as a back-up, this time to first year quarterback Bernard Quarles
Bernard Quarles
Bernard Quarles was a quarterback for the National Football League and Canadian Football League.-Career:...
, but got in enough playing time to throw for 1213 yards. In March, 1984, Dattilio was traded back to the Alouettes where he served as a back-up or a third string quarterback for two seasons.
Among Canadian quarterbacks Dattilio is second all-time in statistics with 9952 passing yards on 697 completions from 1271 attempts with 53 touchdowns to 79 interceptions. He also had 993 rushing yards on 189 carries and added eight more touchdowns. He appeared in three Grey Cup games: 1977, 1978, and 1979, but did not throw any passes. Instead, in 1977, he was used as a receiver and caught two passes for 39 yards in the Alouettes' victory over the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
.
He is presently a business person in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, and was inducted into Northern Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004 and had the Gerry Dattilio Sportsfield named after him in Laval, Quebec
Laval, Quebec
Laval is a Canadian city and a region in southwestern Quebec. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third largest municipality in the province of Quebec, and the 14th largest city in Canada with a population of 368,709 in 2006...
, in honour of his great Chomedy High School playing days.