By Brian Snelgrove
CFL.ca

In an era of outstanding defensive linemen, he was one of the best.

John Helton arrived in Canada in 1969 and spent the next 14 seasons on a hard-hitting journey that would lead him to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

Helton attended Arizona State University and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1969 but was enticed north to Calgary by then-head coach Jerry Williams. Over the next 14 years, he appeared in 219 games with the Stampeders (1969-78) and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1979-82).

In his 10 years with the Stamps, Helton was a CFL all-star seven times and a Western all-star on nine occasions. After signing with Winnipeg as a free agent in 1979, Helton continued his outstanding play and in his four-year stint with the Bombers was a CFL all-star twice and a Western all-star three times.

Helton won the Schenley Award for Most Outstanding Lineman in 1972. Two years later, he was the winner of the Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award.

“That was a really good thing,” he says. “When I look back at my individual awards, it was a reward for being outstanding in certain areas but sometimes your total productivity is overlooked. The guys you played against, they see what’s going on. They see who is making things happen and who is creating havoc.

“My most enjoyable years in Calgary were the early ’70s until about ’73,” Helton recalls. “It was tough sledding after that. We had some excellent players and I really enjoyed my teammates. You miss a lot of the guys. That is what football is all about. We had a shipload of guys who really cared. You couldn’t get a high off your paycheque but you could get a high from the guys around you.”

Helton appeared in the Stampeders back-to-back Grey Cup games in 1970 and 1971.

“Montreal had a powerful football team,” he says of the 1970 matchup against the Alouettes. “It was very disappointing — a lot of guys spend their entire career and never get there. They beat us pretty handily.”

Redemption for Helton would come the following year as the Stampeders knocked off the Toronto Argonauts 14-11 to win their first Grey Cup in 23 years.

“We beat them in every aspect of the game,” says Helton. “They didn’t move the ball on our defence. Sometimes when you win a Grey Cup, the pressure is off and it’s almost a relief. It wasn’t the joy of winning so much as the relief that we didn’t lose. But it is a great feeling. Your city gets to enjoy the thrill of being a champion. That is the best thing and sharing the moment with your teammates. That’s the neatest thing, I find.

“Looking back there were a lot of tough guys I played against. John Bonk was tough. Charlie Turner, Willie Martin, Gary Brandt. And Roger Aldag from Saskatchewan. Roger Aldag would give you all you could take and then give you some more. A lot of guys cut you or held you but not Roger. If Roger ever held you, I think he might have apologized. He was an excellent football player and an excellent human being.”

Along with teammate Wayne Harris, Helton’s name was inscribed on the Stamps Wall of Fame in 1985.

The following year, he was made a member of The CFL Hall of Fame.

“The best thing about that was that my parents and family and friends came here to enjoy it with me,” Helton says. “I probably had 70 people here. I really appreciated my mom and dad being here. They had driven up from Pennsylvania. It was the best way to thank them for what they contributed to my life. They used to drive up to see me play when I was at university and came all the way to Madison, Wisconsin, for one game. The Hall of Fame induction was a wonderful opportunity for me to thank them.”

One of Helton’s co-inductees that year was former Stampeder lineman Don Luzzi.

“Hey, he and Granny Liggins taught me how to play on the defensive line,” says Helton. “It was very special to go in with Don Luzzi. His parents came up from Connecticut for the ceremony and I was able to tell them how much Don had helped me. You can’t forget the people that brought you.

“Calgary is a great city,” says Helton. “I had a chance to go the L.A. Rams at the end of my career but decided I was done. My kids were in school here and Calgary is a great spot, so I stayed.”

Helton, who splits his time between Calgary and Kelowna, B.C., is married with three children and works in the investment and life-insurance industries. An avid golfer, he is active in the community through Calgary Business Fore Kids Golf which raises money for children in need.

“It is a very good organization,” says Helton. “We will consider any organization that needs money. I do whatever I can to help kids.”

Helton is also available for Stampeders functions and community events.

“Football is a wonderful game,” the 63-year-old legend says. “I loved the game. I loved the guys I played with and some I played against. I really respected them. I played for 14 years and I missed two games. I tried to play hard on every down.”