Terrence Anthony "Terry" Evanshen (born June 13, 1944) is a

motivational speaker A motivational speaker (or inspirational speaker) is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep ta ...

and former star receiver in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

CFL

Drafted by the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

, Terry went on to have an outstanding career in the CFL playing for 13 years from 1965–1978, with the

, the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

, the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

, and the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

playing in nearly 200 games and scoring over 90 touchdowns. Terry won the Gruen Trophy as the Eastern Rookie of the Year in 1965, the Most Outstanding Canadian Award in 1967 and 1971, was an all star 7 times, won the

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

in 1970 and was inducted into the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, ...

in 1984. In 1994, the CFL instituted the Terry Evanshen Trophy which is awarded annually to the Outstanding Player in the East Division.

Post-football car crash and memory loss

On July 4, 1988, Terry's life was nearly ended when a car ran a red light crashing into his Jeep. His injuries were so serious that a priest was called to perform last rites. Against great odds, he survived in a coma, but when he awoke a month later he had no memory of his life before the crash. His struggles with this great loss eventually led him to become a motivational speaker. In the year 2000, author June Callwood wrote an award-winning book, ''The Man Who Lost Himself: The Terry Evanshen Story'', which was turned into a 2005 movie for CTV, ''The Stranger I Married'' (also known as ''The Man Who Lost Himself''), starring David James Elliott and Wendy Crewson and directed by

Helen Shaver Helen Shaver (born February 24, 1951) is a Canadian actress and film and television director. After appearing in a number of Canadian movies, she received a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress for her performance in the romantic drama '' In P ...

Videos

References

External links

Official websiteCFL Legends: Terry EvanshenW-Five: Terry Evanshen, a life forgottenSpeakers.ca pageThe Man Who Lost Himself at IMDB
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evanshen, Terry 1944 births Living people Anglophone Quebec people Calgary Stampeders players Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Canadian Football League announcers Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Canadian Award winners Canadian Football League Rookie of the Year Award winners Canadian football wide receivers Canadian motivational speakers Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Montreal Alouettes players Players of Canadian football from Quebec Canadian football people from Montreal Toronto Argonauts players Utah State Aggies football players