CFL: Lions CB Sanchez Has Retired… But For How Long?

He excelled in the CFL as a rarity: a non-import cornerback. Davis Sanchez has announced his intention to retire after 13 professional campaigns, but you have to wonder how long such a unique asset will stay on the sidelines.

Here’s what used to happen traditionally when someone says they’re going to retire: a party is thrown, a gold watch is handed out and co-workers and other invitees gather to wish the retiree well in the golden years to come. Then there’s Davis Sanchez.

The product of North Delta, B.C. is only 37 years old. Granted, he hasn’t played since the sixth game of last season because of an elbow dislocation from 2010, and has chosen to file his retirement papers with the CFL. Yet check out what he said about how he wanted to recognize this momentous occasion in his life.

“My mom and my wife asked if I wanted to have a party. I said no big deal,” Sanchez said Monday. That doesn’t sound like someone who is ready to spend his days in a rocking chair.

It turns out that he wouldn’t have to stay retired if he doesn’t want to. Last year, to get enough enough non-imports on their roster, the Lions signed Ryan Thelwell and Neil McKinlay out of retirement. Jesse Newman unretired in 2010 to join the Calgary Stampeders, only to be traded shortly after to the Lions.

Kicker Hank “The Shank” Ilesic made a habit of it. Ilesic could do it all — punt, kick field goals and kickoffs — and found success at the age of 17 when his hometown Edmonton Eskimos signed him directly out of St. Joseph’s High School in 1977. That turned out to be a fateful decision, as Ilesic went on to be a big part of the Eskies’ Grey Cup dynasty from 1978 to 1982. He even won a sixth ring after being traded to the Toronto Argonauts in 1983.

Ilesic first hung up his cleats in 1995 only to come back in 1998 to play for (of course) the B.C. Lions. That association didn’t last long, but Hank came out of retirement again in 2001 to play for the Eskimos once more. The Ottawa Renegades had the 45-year-old Ilesic on their practise squad in 2005 but did not play in any league games, and that was it for him.

The key here is that every player mentioned in this story was designated as a non-import. This season, the Lions seem to have more than enough Canadians to fill the required quota, but Gossen’s Third Law says “scarcity is a precondition for economic value.” If Sanchez feels his skills haven’t eroded — and if at least CFL club needs to make its quota numbers work, as the Lions did last season with Thelwell and McKinlay — don’t be surprised to see No. 2 strap on a helmet for another final hurrah.

It could even happen with one of his long-term teams. As of this writing, the only confirmed cornerback on the Alouettes’ roster is import Dwight Anderson; one other corner who isn’t yet listed on the main roster is also an import: University of Georgia product Vance Cuff. The Als do have a boatload of defensive backs, and a couple of them are non-imports, namely Michael Carter and Daryl Townsend.

It still sounds like at least one team could use someone with his skills and experience. However, if Sanchez sticks with his decision, he will leave the game after having been a part of three winners: the Eskimos in 2005, the 2009 Als and the 2011 Lions. That’s not a bad way to go out.