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

motivational speaker A motivational 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 talk. Motivational speakers ca ...

and former star receiver in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

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 folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

, 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 of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

, 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 of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

, 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 competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

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 (french: Coupe Grey) 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 be ...

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 great achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about t ...

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 June Rose Callwood, (June 2, 1924 – April 14, 2007) was a Canadian journalist, author and social activist. She was known as "Canada's Conscience". Callwood achieved acclaim and a loyal following for her articles and columns written for na ...

wrote an award-winning book, ''The Man Who Lost Himself: The Terry Evanshen Story'', which was turned into
2005 movie
for CTV, ''The Stranger I Married'' (also known as ''The Man Who Lost Himself''), starring

David James Elliott David James Elliott (born September 21, 1960) is a Canadian actor who was the star of the series ''JAG (TV series), JAG'', playing lead character Harmon Rabb, Harmon Rabb Jr. from 1995 to 2005. Early life Elliott was born David William Smith on S ...

and

Wendy Crewson Wendy Jane Crewson (born May 9, 1956) is a Canadian actress and producer. She began her career appearing on Canadian television, before her breakthrough role in 1991 dramatic film '' The Doctor''. Crewson has appeared in many Hollywood films, inc ...

and directed by

Helen Shaver Helen Shaver (born February 24, 1951) is a Canadian actress and film and television director. She has received Emmy and Saturn Award nominations, among other honours. Early life Shaver was born and raised, with five sisters, in St. Thomas, O ...

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 Sportspeople from Montreal Toronto Argonauts players Utah State Aggies football players