George McGowan - Outstanding Athletic Achievement

George McGowan’s field of dreams measured 110 yards long with end zones that were 20 yards deep with 65 yards of room to roam from sideline to sideline. In the Canadian Football League, it takes three plays to make a first down and 12 players played on either side of the ball on offense and defense.

In a career that spanned eight seasons in the CFL from 1971 to 1978 and at Glendale High, Glendale College and the University of Kansas, McGowan was not only a sure handed receiver but along with fellow inductee Steve Moore, the M & M boys were part of an exciting time wearing Nitro and Vaquero uniforms in the late 1960s.

“It was a privilege to play with a receiver as talented as George McGowan and he is very deserving of being honored as a Glendale College Hall of Fame inductee,’’ said former GCC quarterback Jim Beckenhauer. “As a quarterback, it is important to be on the same page as your receivers and George was as smart as he was skilled and his success at Kansas and the CFL showed how fortunate we were to play with him and what a quality individual he is.’’

McGowan caught 36 passes for 587 yards and one touchdown for the Vaqueros in1967 to earn All-American honors and caught 53 passes for 800 yards and three scores In his career. He was a two-way player for the Vaqueros as a defensive back and went on to earn a football scholarship to the University of Kansas. McGowan was the leading receiver on the Jayhawks squad that played in the 1968 Orange Bowl.

In 1970, he was signed as a free agent and then released by the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL and then was eventually signed by the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL in 1971.That move to Canada was a blessing for McGowan who would help lead the Eskimos to play in five Grey Cup games, win two CFL championships in 1973 and 1975 and the1973 CFL Player of the Year award when he caught 81 passes. He was a CFL All-Star in1973, 1975 and 1976. In 1975 he caught 98 passes which was a CFL record total for one season at that time.

In 2003 he received a call he did not expect when he was notified of his selection to the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame in his last year of eligibility. “He was the first receiver to be a go-to guy,’’ said Eskimos’ former Head Coach Hugh Campbell at the time of McGowan’s induction. “The year he caught the 98 passes convinced other coaches in the league that using a receiver as a go-to guy might be possible. I think the freeze frame for George is making big plays with people all over him.’’

It is our honor to induct George McGowan into the Glendale College Hall of Fame