Toronto's Chad Owens runs on a punt return during first-half CFL 100th Grey Cup championship game action, in Toronto, ON, on Sunday, Nov. 25th, 2012. (CFL PHOTO - Dave Chidley)
TORONTO – Two former Argonaut greats, Chad Owens and S.J. Green, will be inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame this year. Two others with Double Blue ties, Vince Goldsmith and Ray Jauch, will also be enshrined. The members of the class of 2024 will be officially inducted on September 13th at Tim Hortons Field.
Owens played 89 games over six outstanding seasons with the Double Blue (2010-2015) after being traded to the team from Montreal in June of 2010. In those six seasons, the Hawaii native would win one Grey Cup (2012), set the record for most all-purpose yards in a regular season with 3,863 (2012, surpassing current Argos GM Michael Clemons), win the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player (2012) and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player (2010), while being named a CFL All-Star four times (2010-2012, 2014) and an East All-Star five straight seasons (2010-2014). The University of Hawaii’s all-time career yardage leader became the first professional footballer to record at least 3,000 combined yards in back-to-back seasons (2011-2012) and just the fifth CFL player ever to record over 1,000 punt and kick return yards in a single season (2010).
“The Flying Hawaiian” owns the top three total return yard seasons in Argos history, most receiving yards in a playoff game with 207, most combined yards in a single game (402) and is second all-time in return touchdowns (9), career return yards (10,286), career punt return yards (4,007), and is third all-time in Argo history in combined yards with 15,487 and punt return yards in a season (1,060).
Owens broke into the CFL in 2009 with Montreal after three years spent in the NFL. He would go on to play with Hamilton and Saskatchewan after leaving Toronto.
Green was acquired by Toronto in April of 2017 in a trade with Montreal. He would go on to play three seasons (2017-2019) with the Boatmen, winning a Grey Cup (2017) and being named an East All-Star each season he played with the Double Blue with a CFL All-Star in 2017 to boot. The Texas native had the best season of his career in 2017 when he caught 104 passes for 1,462 yards and 10 touchdowns, all career highs. The South Florida alum hauled in 272 passes for 3,596 yards and 18 touchdowns in 54 career regular-season games with Toronto.
Green spent the first 10 years of his CFL career with Montreal where he would win two more Grey Cups (2009-2010), earn five more East All-Star nominations (2011-2015), and another CFL All-Star in 2013. He would amass 716 receptions for 10,222 receiving yards and 60 touchdowns in 116 regular season games for his entire CFL career. He finished his career 15th all-time in CFL receiving yards.
Goldsmith spent one season in Toronto after being traded to the Argos from Saskatchewan in 1984. He would register 12 sacks with the team. Goldsmith spent most of his Hall of Fame career with Saskatchewan where he was Most Outstanding Rookie in 1981, CFL All-Star in 1983, and a West All-Star in 1981, 1983, and 1988. The Kansas native ended his 10-year CFL career with 130.5 sacks, which was fifth best in CFL history at the time, and currently ranks eighth.
Long-time coach Ray Jauch was with the Argos as an offensive assistant in 1999. He coached in the CFL for over 20 years with Edmonton, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, and Toronto. Jauch was named Coach of the Year in 1970 with Edmonton and in 1980 with Winnipeg. He would win his first Grey Cup as a player with the Bombers in 1961 and his second as a coach with Edmonton in 1975.