Reaction from Stampeders personnel on the retirement of Anthony Calvillo:

Head coach and general manager John Hufnagel was the Stampeders’ offensive coordinator when Calvillo made his CFL debut with the Las Vegas Posse in 1994. When Hufnagel became the Stamps head coach and GM in 2008, Calgary faced Montreal in the Grey Cup and Calvillo was the league’s Most Outstanding Player.

“I would like to congratulate Anthony on his exceptional career. As a coach and a former quarterback, I have a great respect for his abilities and for his many remarkable accomplishments in the CFL. His combination of talent, intelligence, game savvy, perseverance and toughness made him one of the best players this league has ever seen and he has established a number of records that may never be broken. I wish him all the best in the future.”

Stampeders quarterback Adrian McPherson was Calvillo’s teammate for five seasons in Montreal (2008-12).

“We all know that he’s a great player, but he’s an even better person. He’s such a humble person. In my opinion, he’s one of the best players who’s ever played in the league because of how hard he works and how well prepared he is. That’s what I learned from him — the importance of preparation and becoming a student of the game.”

Calgary offensive coordinator Dave Dickenson has faced Calvillo both as a quarterback (1997-2000, 2003-08) and as a coach (2009-13). Both Dickenson and Calvillo are multiple-Grey Cup winners and former recipients of the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award

“He’s a great player and I always enjoyed watching him play. When he was at his best, he made the game look really easy. With some of the obstacles he had to overcome early in his career, he’s good guy to model yourself after in regards to perseverance. He kept working at it and, eventually, good things happened to him. I also think he didn’t get enough credit for being a good athlete because I know he made some very nice plays.”