Joey Payeur
The only player from Fort Frances to ever get his name on the Grey Cup will now take his place alongside this region’s all-time sporting legends.
Jeff Treftlin, who starred in the late 1970s for the Muskie football team before going on to an eight-year career in the CFL, was announced yesterday as one of the six new inductees to the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, with the ceremony to take place Sept. 24 in Thunder Bay.
“It’s long overdue,” said Treftlin’s former head coach with the black-and-gold, Dave Montgomery, who submitted Treftlin’s nomination to the Hall for consideration.
“I’m really happy for him. Of all the players that came through the Muskie program, he’s the one that really took his opportunities and abilities to a higher level.”
Treftlin was attending Westfort School when he began playing football as a member of the Muskies’ Grade 9 program in 1975.
He moved up to the varsity squad the following year and from 1976-79 terrorized opponents as both a cat-quick running back and a ball-hawking defensive halfback.
“Jeffrey came in as a part of a group that were gung-ho about playing,” recalled Montgomery.
“He always had the athletic abilities, but he wasn’t very big,” added Montgomery about Treftlin, who topped out at 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds.
“People had a lot of doubts about him, whether it was here or when he went to play university at McMaster.”
Treftlin proved those doubters wrong and wound up being a fourth-round draft pick of the Edmonton Eskimos in 1984.
The Eskimos immediately found him to be an effective punt and kickoff returner, despite his diminutive stature, with Treftlin scoring a punt return touchdown and another major off a fumble recovery as a rookie.
He spent two seasons with the Green and Gold, getting his lone career sack in 1985, before being dealt to the Montreal Alouettes along with Pete Emsky for Montreal’s third-round pick in the 1986 college draft.
Treftlin broke into the starting lineup as a defensive back with the Alouettes and led the league in kickoff returns (46) and kickoff return yardage (964) to earn selection as an Eastern Division all-star, while also making his lone interception.
The Alouettes folded after the 1986 season, with Treftlin winding up with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as a second-round selection in the dispersal draft.
He played nine games with the Bombers, but was released and picked up later that season by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Treftlin ended up on his fourth team in three seasons in 1988 when he was chosen by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the equalization draft.
His career highlight came the next year, when he was part of the Roughriders squad that captured the 1989 Grey Cup in a heart-pounding 43-40 win over Hamilton thanks to a last-second field goal by Saskatchewan kicker Dave Ridgway.
Treftlin played two more seasons with the ‘Riders before being released and eventually retiring after the 1991 campaign, when he made his only pass reception of his career.
He finished with 104 kickoff returns for 2,146 yards (20.6 average), along with 223 punt returns for 1,586 yards (7.1 avg.).
“How he survived almost a decade in the CFL is amazing,” lauded Montgomery.
“He gave up a lot of size, but he got the job done.”
Montgomery was surprised to find out Treftlin wasn’t yet a member of the Hall.
“I always thought he was in, but (former Muskies head coach) Scott Fawcett and I got to talking and apparently, he was not,” said Montgomery.
“He met all the criteria. He has a tremendous resumé of accomplishments.”
Treftlin’s entrance into the Northwestern Ontario Hall also means he will be an automatic inductee into the Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame next August.
He could not be reached for comment by press time.
Other athlete inductees this year will include rower Liam Parsons; boxer Kathy Williams and hockey player and coach Ron Busniuk.
In the builders category, both inductees will be posthumous, with wrestling coach Todd Hinds and long-time minor coach, instructor and administrator Jim Johnson will also receive their due.
