Despite bring traded to the Calgary Stampeders in 1958, Bill Casanova never played a single regular-season game for the Red and White. That hardly means the Windsor, Ont., native — who passed away on Aug. 9 at the age of 80 — didn’t have a profound impact on the Stampeders family.

After completing his career as an athlete, Casanova settled in Calgary and became an educator and coach and it was in this role he touched the lives of many, including future Stampeders defensive lineman Joe Forzani.

“He was probably my third best mentor behind my mother and father,” Forzani, who played for the Stamps from 1968-75, told the Calgary Herald. “He was instrumental for setting me straight into football. I was really blessed having him as a mentor and coach.”

“Bill Casanova is one of those special people who helped me see the value of sports and the importance of sports in society,” said Stampeders vice-president/consultant to the executive committee Stan Schwartz, who played for Coach Casanova at Mount Royal College. “He loved football and was committed to the game and his players. We learned to work hard and appreciate how much preparation it takes to win.”

A talented athlete, Casanova excelled in baseball, basketball football and track and field as a high-schooler. He signed with the New York Yankees and reached the Triple-A level with baseball’s most famous franchise before returning to the gridiron in 1954 with the University of Western Ontario Mustangs.

The BC Lions and Stampeders both owned his playing rights in 1958 but a professional football career was not to be and by 1959 he was athletic director and head football coach at Calgary’s St. Mary’s high school.

St. Mary’s posted four consecutive undefeated regular seasons under Casanova and captured a pair of city championships.

From St. Mary’s to Mount Royal to the University of Calgary to the Colts, Cougars and Mohawks junior clubs, Casanova left his fingerprints all over the city’s football scene and left a lasting legacy.

“He taught the right values in the right way to his teams,” said Schwartz. “To him, everyone on the team was important. He cared about his athletes on and off the playing field. The people he coached were more important than the athletes he coached.

“Bill Casanova touched my life and my future by helping me become who I am. I will always remember his ongoing support, wisdom and, most importantly, the friendship he provided until his passing. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my family and people like my friend, Bill Casanova.”