CALGARY — Someday soon — perhaps even Saturday — Kevin Glenn should reach a major milestone.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback enters Saturday’s CFL game against the host Calgary Stampeders just 116 passing yards shy of the 50,000-yard mark for his career.
Whenever he gets there, the 38-year-old Detroit product will once again think about a story that appeared in the Detroit Free Press some 20 years ago — a story that said Glenn wouldn’t play quarterback beyond high school.
A copy of the article, laminated for posterity, still rests in the Detroit-area home of Glenn’s father.
“(Reaching 50,000 yards) says the same thing that has always been said about me: In my eyes and (in the eyes of) the people who have believed in me, it’s that, ‘We always knew he could do it,’ ’’ the younger Glenn said Friday at McMahon Stadium. “(It’s) not the naysayers or the ones who said that I never would be able to play a down of college football at the quarterback position.
“To turn around and say, ‘Wow. He has thrown for 50,000 yards with the career that he has had’ … a lot of people believed that I could actually do it — and it has been done.”
Well … almost. As mentioned, the 17-year CFL veteran needs 116 yards to become just the seventh quarterback in league history to reach the mark.
If/when Glenn gets there, he’ll join Anthony Calvillo (79,816), Damon Allen (72,381), Henry Burris (63,369), Ricky Ray (56,412 and counting), Danny McManus (53,255) and Ron Lancaster (50,535) as the only CFL quarterbacks with more than 50,000 passing yards in their careers.
“When you can say that you’ve thrown for 50,000 yards and you get your name in the conversation with some of these other guys who have thrown for 50,000 yards, it’s an accomplishment,” said Glenn, who has 1,055 passing yards this season.
“It’s one of those things where, when you retire and you get old, you can sit back and smile because you’re going to be part of that conversation. You’re going to hear your name when you start talking about that kind of stuff.”
Glenn began his CFL career with the Roughriders in 2001 and is in his third go-round with them (2001-03, 2015, 2017). The Illinois State University product also has had stints with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2004-08, 2016), the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2009-11), the Stampeders (2012-13), the B.C. Lions (2014) and the Montreal Alouettes (2015-16).
In his career, he has thrown for 5,452 yards with Saskatchewan, 18,135 with Winnipeg, 12,146 with Hamilton, 6,930 with Calgary, 3,918 with B.C. and 3,303 with Montreal.
“(Nearing 50,000 yards) is a testament to him, No. 1 as a person and No. 2 as a player,” said Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones, who noted earlier this week that Glenn “absolutely” has had a career worthy of enshrinement in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
“You have to be a really good guy to be able to play that long and continue to do this thing in pro football. He brings both things to the table and certainly he’s doing a good job of leading us.”
Roughriders slotback Bakari Grant first played with Glenn in 2011 when both were with the Tiger-Cats. Grant believes that, when Glenn reaches the milestone, he’ll just shrug it off.
“He’ll say it’s just another number and just another play,” Grant said. “He’s one of those guys who’s going to reflect on his career once it’s done and really appreciate what he has done because he’s a worker. He’s not a guy who’s in it for the flash. He wants to get his job done.
“You’ll see it when he gets praise and you’ll see it when he gets hate. He’s consistent. He’ll say, ‘OK,’ and he’ll go about his day.”
Earlier this week, Glenn told reporters that he doesn’t go to bed thinking about reaching 50,000 yards, nor does he go into games thinking about it. As he put it: “If we’re successful, it’s going to happen.”
The Roughriders take a 1-2-0 record into Saturday’s contest, but Glenn has been successful all season. Entering Week 5, his completion percentage of 72.8 was the best among CFL starting quarterbacks, he was tied for second in the league with seven touchdown passes, and he had helped Saskatchewan put up a league-best average of 30.0 offensive points per game.
Glenn also had completed more than 30 passes in each of his three starts this season (31 against Montreal on June 22, 36 against Winnipeg on July 1 and 32 against Hamilton on July 8). That makes him one of only three quarterbacks in CFL history with 30 or more completions in three straight games.
Kerwin Bell (1998 Toronto Argonauts) and Calvillo (2008 Alouettes) join Glenn on that list. No CFL quarterback has ever done it four games in a row.
“It’s exciting to see him do what he does every day,” said slotback Naaman Roosevelt. “On the field, he’s telling us what to do and in the meeting room, he’s letting us know what he sees and where he wants us to be. It’s exciting to be able to play with a guy like that.”
Like Grant, wide receiver Rob Bagg believes Glenn will take more pride in reaching the 50,000-yard plateau after he retires than when it actually happens. Facing Calgary’s defence Saturday will be his primary focus, not the potential accomplishment.
“He’s just such a great team guy and great quarterback that he’s going to be focused on the game and making sure that we as receivers are in position to have great days based on the throws he makes,” Bagg said.
“I’ve caught a couple (passes) from KG — certainly not for 50,000 (yards) — but he’s a tremendous player and having the opportunity to play with him has been a privilege.”
