It’s great to end your career on such a high note” -Ben Cahoon
The Alouettes will always hold a special place in Ben Cahoon’s heart. The former star receiver won three championships with the team, and on top of that, ended his football career in 2010 with nothing less than a Grey Cup win. “It’s great to end your career on such a high note, few athletes have the chance to retire that way, I consider myself lucky to have had that privilege,” states the Utah-native.
Cahoon attributes the 2009 and 2010 Grey Cup wins to Head Coach Marc Trestman’s leadership. “Marc is quite a coach. He is the one who rallied our team; he made us see all the talent we had, and with the help of his coaching staff, applied the necessary strategies to allow us to win. He’s such a smart person, I learned a lot from him.”
Whether they won or lost that November 28, 2010 championship battle against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Cahoon had already made his decision: he would hang up his cleats at the end of the game.
“In all honesty, my decision was made. My body was tired, my knee hurt. Football is a sport for young people, and at the age of 38, I knew it was my last run.”
Cahoon never buckled under the pressure of Grey Cup games. Quite the opposite actually, he thrived under those conditions. In eight games, he gained 666 yards in 47 receptions, setting a CFL record that still holds to this day.
Cahoon has vivid memories of the Grey Cup parade that took place on Sainte-Catherine street in downtown Montreal alongside tens of thousands of fans. “We were in our floats and all the fans were shouting our names and wanting to give us high fives. We made our way to the Place des festivals where we walked on a stage and showed off our trophy! There were so many people there. I have chills just thinking about that moment, it was such an amazing experience. We went all over town with the Cup for an entire week: in restaurants, in schools, to media events. Everyone welcomed us with open arms!”
Ben Cahoon had the privilege of playing for 13 seasons with the Montreal Alouettes. The team had selected him in the first round (6th overall) of the 1998 CFL Draft. Cahoon was eligible for the Canadian auction since he spent part of his childhood in Red Deer, Alberta, and Beaconsfield, Quebec. He won three Grey Cups (2002, 2009, 2010), was named three times to the CFL All-Star Team (1999, 2004, 2008), and was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 2014. He is ranked third in the league with 1,017 receptions and seventh for the yards on receptions with 13,301.
Cahoon has been working for G2G, a protein bar company, for three years now. He is the sales director for Canada and a part of the United States. Many athletes use the bars before doing physical activity.
“I love this job, it allows me to stay connected with the sport and with the Alouettes because many players consume our bars. My job allows me to travel a lot so there’s not too much routine, it’s a constant challenge.”
For more details and to get his bars, go to g2gbar.ca.
After hanging up his cleats at the end of the 2010 season, the CFL Hall of Famer became a coach. He was the receivers’ coach for the Brigham Young University Cougars (BYU), his alma mater, for two mandates (2011-2012 and 2016-2017), a total of four seasons. Would he ever join the Alouettes’ coaching staff? “I love the Alouettes and the city of Montreal, never say never,” Cahoon answered with a smile….
