Taking Off in Toronto : Rocket Proves His Worth as a Superstar in the CFL

Raghib (Rocket) Ismail practiced signing autographs as a child because he thought he would be a famous athlete.

“I used to practice when I was little and pretend I was famous,” he said. “But as I got older, I started really having to sign them.”

After Ismail led the Toronto Argonauts to a 34-31 regular-season-ending victory over the Ottawa Rough Riders last Sunday, he was surrounded by autograph seekers, most of them kids. Earlier this year, he was stunned when an opposing player came to the Toronto locker room for an autograph after a game.

Ismail said he can’t venture out in Toronto without being mobbed. When the Detroit Pistons played an exhibition game here, Ismail caused such a stir during the game that he had to move from his seat.

“He was seated near the Piston bench, but the players asked him to move back because they couldn’t concentrate on the game,” said Toronto quarterback Matt Dunigan, who accompanied Ismail to the game. “The Detroit Pistons were two-time (NBA) champions, and people were asking Rocket for autographs.”

The runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting last season, Ismail left Notre Dame one year early to sign a $14-million, four-year contract to play in the Canadian Football League, spurning the NFL, which had projected him as its top draft choice.

Bruce McNall, the Kings’ owner who purchased the Argonauts along with King star Wayne Gretzky and actor John Candy, signed the wide receiver/kick returner to provide the Argonauts with instant credibility.

Although it took awhile for Ismail to adjust to the CFL, which has 12 players, uses a bigger field and allows defensive backs more contact with wide receivers, Ismail has been successful in his first season, leading the Argonauts to the Eastern Division championship with a 13-5 record.

Toronto, which finished unbeaten at home (9-0) for the first time since 1940, earned a bye into next week’s Eastern Division final and will reach the Grey Cup on Nov. 24 if it wins its playoff game.

A finalist for CFL rookie-of-the-year honors, Ismail led the league with 2,959 all-purpose yards, second-best in CFL history.

Although Ismail had been prepared for an icy reception from his Toronto teammates, he said he was immediately accepted.

“The media said there was going to be a lot of animosity,” Ismail said. “I was really getting ready for whatever verbal abuse I was going to take. But none of it happened, and that just caught me off guard. What I found to be different was that guys on the team were so helpful.”

Quarterback Rickey Foggie said he was skeptical that Ismail was worth $3.5 million a season. Ismail is paid more than the rest of the team and coaching staff, since every CFL team has a salary cap of $3 million. Ismail’s contract with the team is in line with other CFL wide receivers, but a personal services contract with McNall accounts for the bulk of his salary.

“People try to make you feel guilty for making so much money,” Ismail said. “But I’d feel guilty if I didn’t work hard for it.”

Ismail’s teammates say he has earned his pay.

“You’re not human if you don’t wonder if he’s worth that much, but he’s proven to us and to this league that if anybody’s going to make (that much money), he’s the guy to make it, because he can make things happen,” Foggie said.

Toronto Coach Adam Rita agreed. “We’re all a little jealous because we’d like to make the kind of money he’s making,” Rita said. “But we’re all making more money because of him, and we’re getting more recognition because of him.”

Foggie said: “He’s been a human highlight film. You want to get him the ball as much as you can because there’s always a chance of him making a big play or turning a small gain into a big gain. He makes it easier on me as a quarterback because I know if I deliver the ball to him, something good’s going to happen.”

Ismail had 259 all-purpose yards in the Argonauts’ regular-season finale against the Rough Riders at the SkyDome. With Toronto trailing, 21-17, in the fourth quarter, Ismail scored on an 87-yard pass play. After setting up the game-winning field goal with a 28-yard pass reception, Ismail led the crowd in cheers.

The previous week, Ismail had a 47-yard pass reception with six minutes left to set up the winning touchdown in a 39-34 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Ismail called that play in the huddle, telling Foggie he could beat his man on a deep post pattern.

“He walked into the huddle and said ‘I want to run a post,’ ” Foggie recalled. “So, I called a post pattern, and he came up with a great catch. That just shows how he’s grown since he’s been here. It shows he’s matured as a football player.”

Ismail said he had been reluctant to ask for the ball because he is a rookie, but he finally decided to assert himself.

“I guess I felt kind of awkward all year because I was a rookie trying to say something in that situation,” Ismail said. “But I just felt it was time to put that aside.”

Ismail’s performance probably makes Raider owner Al Davis envious.

Selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft, Ismail would be the property of the Raiders if he left the CFL.

Ismail laughed when asked if he plans to play for the Raiders after his CFL contract expires in 1995.

“That’s just something the media tries to get going,” Ismail said. “I can’t really say what I’m going to do from here. Regardless of what I say, everybody has their own opinion.

“I want to stay here for a couple more years and cool out and finish school.”

Ismail said he has no desire to prove that he can play in the NFL.

“If I was an egomaniac, I’d probably want to do it,” Ismail said. “But that’s far from me. I have no regrets about going to the CFL.”

Ismail has also helped the Argonauts become successful at the box office.

A distant third behind the Toronto Blue Jays, who led the major leagues in attendance last season, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, who sell out every game, the Argonauts are doing better at the gate.

Attendance increased by almost 15,000 a game at the SkyDome this season. After averaging 21,832 fans last season, the Argonauts have averaged 36,000 in 1991. Road attendance also increased from an average of 25,671 in 1990 to 29,630 this season.

Corporate sponsorships have increased from $600,000 last season to $1.4 million in 1991, and TV ratings have increased 40%.

And Ismail has helped boost the sale of team merchandise. The Argonauts opened a store, which has had sales of $10,000 a week, said Brian Cooper, Argonaut executive vice president.

Despite this season’s gains, Cooper said the team won’t make a profit because it added 11 people to the staff and is building a training facility.

“Those things will be written off in the first year, and I think we’ll take a hit this year,” Cooper said. “I don’t think it would be appropriate to say the number now, but I know we’ll be in the red. But Bruce (McNall) has proven that you have to spend to make money, like he did with the Kings. This is not the stock market, this is a long-term deal.”

How long will it take for the team to finish in the black?

“I’d like to think we can do it within a two-year period,” Cooper said. “If we have a good year with season-ticket sales, we could do it next year.”

However, Susan Waks, vice chairman and chief financial officer for all of McNall’s companies, maintains that the Argonauts will break even this season because of playoff revenue.

Waks said signing Ismail was a sound investment.

“The financial success of the team I wouldn’t necessarily equate to whether the Rocket deal was a good deal for us,” she said. “We were trying to generate interest in the sport, and Rocket helped us do it. On television, we were getting higher ratings than the Blue Jays’ games.

“A lot of people said, ‘How could you possibly spend that amount of money for a player in the CFL?’ But if you look at the exposure we got, for $3.5 million I couldn’t have bought the amount of media time we got.”

Signing Ismail provided Toronto with a public relations bonanza. However, he has been reluctant to take part in team promotions and media interviews because of his shyness.

“He doesn’t like being interviewed and the time that it takes,” said sportswriter Rick Matsumoto, who covers the Argonauts for the Toronto Star. “But he’s learning that they’re not paying him $14 million to play football; they’re paying him $14 million to bring people into the stadium.”

Although he’s a millionaire at 21, no one is going to accuse Ismail of being a spendthrift.

His wardrobe seems to consist of Notre Dame sweat shirts, and he lives in a floppy blue leather Notre Dame hat that resembles the one worn by Gilligan on “Gilligan’s Island.”

Ismail drives a Ford Explorer and lives in a downtown apartment near the SkyDome.

“I’m not into material stuff,” Ismail said. “I know in L.A., that’s the scene, but I’m not into cars and clothes. That’s not me.

“I go places and people say, ‘Man, for somebody with that much money, he sure doesn’t dress like it.’ They think I’m supposed to bust out with the silks every day. But that’s just not me. I’m more of a casual type guy.”

He maintains that his social life is dull.

“I spend most of my time at my crib,” Ismail said. “I’m so tied up with having to do promotions that I don’t have much free time. If I’m not at (home) watching a movie, I’m sleeping.

“I rent a lot of videos, but sometimes I don’t have time to watch them, so I end up turning them in late and I run up crazy bills.”

Ismail doesn’t have a black book filled with names of potential dates. In fact, he’s leery of the ulterior motives of the women he meets.

“I want to know how Magic (Johnson) and (other sports stars) found their girlfriends,” Ismail said. “Now, it’s like I don’t know who to (trust). I don’t know, man.”

Although he said he is saving his money, he did make two major investments, buying a new house and a Mercedes-Benz for his mother, Fat’ma.

“I remember on my way to Notre Dame, I said I was going to buy her a white Benz and a (big) house,” Ismail said. “Well, I got her a red Benz and a nice house. I told her to go find one that she wanted, and she found it.”

Ismail, who left Notre Dame 30 credits short of getting his degree in American studies, plans to return to school in January.

“I get a lot of fan mail from kids, and I don’t want them to get the impression that leaving school is the answer to all your problems,” Ismail said. “I want to set that example.”