Former Cougar defies odds

They call him velcro hands and Rudy on steroids, but the greatest compliment they're tossing Ben Cahoon is that he is a superstar in a world that discriminates against guys like him.

Cahoon, who possesses neither great size nor speed, is currently being pitched by the Montreal Alouettes as the greatest receiver in the history of Canadian professional football. Cahoon is having his best year ever with Montreal.

Cahoon, you see, is the great hope for us guys in the stubby 5-foot-9 range who were raised in Utah.

My time is long gone, but it's not too late for the rest of you dreamers. For all you kids out there who are stretching yourself on the monkey bars, praying that your bones will stretch another inch or two, that you'll somehow get a chance to play beyond high school, just remember the tale of Orem's Little Ben, the Cahoon who did.

Cahoon wasn't supposed to do what he's doing. He's hardly ever had anyone recruit him to anything — yet he's proven to every convoluted, stereotyping doubter that they were not only wrong but blind fools.

This past week, Cahoon, who has a home in Cedar Hills, set a Canadian Football League record for most all-time receptions by a Canadian football player. Playing for Montreal and catching passes from former Aggie Anthony Calvillo, Cahoon currently leads the CFL in yards gained receiving (112 catches for 1,561 and 13 touchdowns). He was named the CFL's Outstanding Player last year and he will likely receive that same honor at the conclusion of this season.

A year ago, Cahoon caught 75 passes for 1,060 yards and six touchdowns. This season, he exploded for 37 more receptions, erasing the seven-year-old mark set by Calgary's Dave Sapunjis, who tied Winnepeg's Gereald Wilcox the year before.

Cahoon's a high-standards guy, married, has kids, and is noted for his devotion to his LDS roots and teachings as well as his outstanding ability to simply catch the football and hang on to it. He is very strong. He can dunk a basketball with his 40-inch vertical. But judging him by his height is the first mistake of everybody he's ever gone up against.

In his sixth year for Montreal, moving to slot receiver from wideout, Cahoon has surpassed everything he's done as a pro, even at age 31, in the twilight of his career.

Nobody wanted Cahoon out of high school in Orem. He was judged too small. When recruiters came to his school to meet players, they all ignored him. He walked on at Ricks College and before his career was over, he owned receiving records for the Vikings.