Paul Masotti
Encyclopedia
Paul Masotti is a former professional Canadian football
player and current front office
executive with the Canadian Football League
Toronto Argonauts
. Masotti played the wide receiver
position for 12 seasons with the Toronto Argonauts
, from 1988 to 1999, retiring just before the 2000 season
to join the Argos front office first as Executive Vice-President, and then as General Manager
.
, Masotti played for the Axemen of Acadia University
and was named an AUAA All-Star in 1985 and 1987.
first pick and 15th overall in the 1988 CFL Canadian College Draft. Masotti, however, first signed as a free agent
with the Washington Redskins
of the National Football League
and was one of the Redskins' final cuts. Masotti made his professional debut with the Argos on September 25, 1988
.
Over his 12 seasons, all with the Argonauts, Masotti amassed four straight 1,000-yard seasons from 1994–1997, caught 556 passes for 8,772 yards (a club record that has since been broken by former teammate Derrell "Mookie" Mitchell
) and 44 touchdowns, and won three Grey Cup
rings.
In the 1997 Grey Cup
Masotti was named the Most Valuable Canadian Player leading the team with six receptions for 102 yards. Argos
quarterback
Doug Flutie
, who won a new Chrysler
truck as the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player
, gave Masotti the prize in recognition of his accomplishments.
Following his retirement as an active player in 2000
, a banner with Masotti's name and photograph was added to the list of All-Time Argonauts hanging from the rafters of the Rogers Centre
.
Masotti is a first cousin
of Mike Morreale
, a former wide receiver in the CFL with the Argonauts & the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
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...
player and current front office
Front office
Front office is a business term that refers to a company's departments that come in contact with clients, including the marketing, sales, and service departments...
executive with 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....
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...
. Masotti played the wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
position for 12 seasons 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...
, from 1988 to 1999, retiring just before the 2000 season
2000 CFL season
-2000 CFL Awards:*CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Dave Dickenson , Calgary Stampeders*CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Sean Millington , BC Lions*CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Joe Montford , Hamilton Tiger-Cats...
to join the Argos front office first as Executive Vice-President, and then as General Manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
.
College football career
Born in Hamilton, OntarioHamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Masotti played for the Axemen of Acadia University
Acadia University
Acadia University is a predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level...
and was named an AUAA All-Star in 1985 and 1987.
Professional football career
Masotti was the Toronto ArgonautsToronto 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...
first pick and 15th overall in the 1988 CFL Canadian College Draft. Masotti, however, first signed as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
with the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
and was one of the Redskins' final cuts. Masotti made his professional debut with the Argos on September 25, 1988
1988 CFL season
The 1988 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 35th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 31st Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1988:...
.
Derrell Mitchell
Derrell Lavoice "Mookie" Mitchell is a former Canadian Football League slotback.-Junior College Career:Mitchell attended Joliet Junior College...
) and 44 touchdowns, and won three Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
rings.
In the 1997 Grey Cup
85th Grey Cup
The 85th Grey Cup was held in 1997 in Edmonton before 60,431 fans. The heavily favoured Toronto Argonauts won the game over the Saskatchewan Roughriders with a score of 47-23.-Game summary:...
Masotti was named the Most Valuable Canadian Player leading the team with six receptions for 102 yards. Argos
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...
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...
Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
, who won a new Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
truck as the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player
Grey Cup Most Valuable Player
The Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player award is awarded annually to the player deemed to have the best performance in the Grey Cup Game, the Canadian Football League's championship game.-Grey Cup Most Valuable Player Award winners:...
, gave Masotti the prize in recognition of his accomplishments.
Following his retirement as an active player in 2000
2000 CFL season
-2000 CFL Awards:*CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Dave Dickenson , Calgary Stampeders*CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Sean Millington , BC Lions*CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Joe Montford , Hamilton Tiger-Cats...
, a banner with Masotti's name and photograph was added to the list of All-Time Argonauts hanging from the rafters of the Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre is a multi-purpose stadium, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated next to the CN Tower, near the shores of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989, it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League...
.
Masotti is a first cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
of Mike Morreale
Mike Morreale
Mike Morreale is a former award winning receiver in the Canadian Football League.-Early years:A graduate of Cardinal Newman Secondary School, where he earned athlete of the year honours and was football MVP twice, Morreale played his university football with the McMaster University Marauders from...
, a former wide receiver in the CFL with the Argonauts & 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...