Terry deserves recognition!

John Terry is the Saskatchewan Roughriders' unknown commodity.

The roughriders' left tackle is arguably the best offensive lineman on the CFL team, but he is not as easily recognizable as such stars as quarterback Reggie Slack or wide receiver Donald Narcisse.

"Sometimes it hurts when I'm at a store and people don't know who I am" Terry 30, says with a chuckle. "But that's part of being an offensive lineman I guess we are suppose to stay in the backround. "Actually, sometimes it's great to be walking around town and not have people recognize me. Other times I do starve for the attention other guys get." And how does he handle it? "I just blow it off," Terry continues. "At least I know who I am.'

So do opposing defensive linemen. Terry , A 6-foot-4, 290-pound product of Greenwood South Carolina, has been one of the top tackles in the CFL since beginning his career in 1995 with the Toronto Argonauts. He started 15 games with the Argonauts in '95, but was traded to Saskatchewan in April of '96 for center Mike Kiselak. Since then, Terry has been a fixture on the Roughriders' line. "I feel I've contributed a lot to this team" says Terry, a graduate of Livingstone College in Salisbury, N.C. "When I was first traded here, it was a shock. An old Argos teammate (offensive lineman Joe Burgos) and I used to joke about who would be the first one traded to Saskatchewan and, lo and behold, it was me. "Now I don't regret it at all. I've enjoyed every minute of it and I've enjoyed the fans."

Terry was named a Western Division all-star in 1997 and should receive the same consideration this season-even though he missed five games with an injured knee. The Roughriders lost all five of those contests and many believe there's a correlation. Without their best lineman, the Roughriders struggled on offense. "I don't think I'm the best;I'm just part of a group," counters Terry. "I don't feel losing one player should hinder the group in any way. "I hate when people say I'm the best lineman here. It's a unit thing. I can't block everybody on the defensive line. I don't like hearing that. I appreciate it, but I don't like it." Terry plans to continue playing until he is 35 and will do most of that work in Regina. He recently signed a two-year contract extension with the Roughriders, meaning he's under contract with them until 2001. In the meantime, maybe people will start to recognize him. "I have a perma-frown on my face, so people probably don't want to come up to me," Terry says. "But I'm far from the meanest person in the world.

IAN HAMILTON