Words by Rob Vanstone
Don Narcisse’s uniform number — 80 — has never looked better than it does today, on his 58th birthday.
The legendary Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver, a 2010 inductee into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, recently celebrated an 80 on a kidney test result.
Only four months ago, Narcisse’s GFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate) had descended to the point where the number was alarming.
“The doctor said, ‘30 … you might have to go on dialysis,’ ” Narcisse recalls from his home in Houston.
“I had high blood pressure and my kidneys had gone down from 80 to 30. I was in there crying hard. The doctor said he was going to send me to a specialist. When I got out of there, I called my sister and she said, ‘You need to start eating right.’ ”
His sister Debra — who, coincidentally enough, turns 62 today — promptly and crucially reached out to their younger brother, Shawn.
Shawn’s suggestion: Alkaline deoxidant water.
“I drank that stuff all the time,” Don Narcisse says. “It cleans your system right out.”
While also cleaning up his diet, he lowered his weight to 197 pounds, from 230. Then he returned to the doctor’s office, underwent follow-up tests, and …
“Eighty,” No. 80 says. “The doctor said, ‘I don’t know what you did.’ ”
That was merely the latest example of Narcisse overcoming the odds.
At 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, he was hardly the prototypical pro prospect coming out of Texas Southern University, even though he led the NCAA’s Division 1-AA in receiving yards (1,074) as a senior in 1986.
The lack of size was complemented by a lack of blazing speed.
And, by the way, he had a heart murmur as a kid. Asthma, too.
Ultimately, the statistics were breathtaking.
Narcisse retired after the 1999 season as the Canadian Football League’s all-time leader in receptions (919). All these years later, he is still seventh on the career list.
Ahead of him are Nik Lewis (1,050), Geroy Simon (1,029), Ben Cahoon (1,017), Terry Vaughn (1,006), Darren Flutie (972) and Allen Pitts (966).
“I’m Number 1 in passes caught by a wide receiver,” Narcisse emphasizes. “Everyone who’s above me was a slotback. Those guys have a running start at the line of scrimmage. It’s a different position than a wide receiver — just like a fullback and a tailback.
“As far as catches by a wide receiver, I’m Number 1.”
He might very well be atop the list in terms of autographs signed and fans’ birthday parties attended. More times than anyone can document, he showed up unannounced.
“It used to surprise people,” Narcisse says. “They were shocked.
“I just loved to mingle with the people, especially the people who supported you. You play for the fans, man.
“When the team was losing, they’d get on you, but those fans up there love that team.”
One of those fans, Paul Faubert, visited Narcisse’s apartment with some friends in 1989 and asked for an autograph.
The next day, Paul returned — this time by himself — with a picture that he had drawn of Narcisse. The star receiver was handed a drawing that included this inscription: “Paul Faubert … seven years old.”
Narcisse was soon introduced to Paul’s parents (Eileen and Nelson Faubert) and younger sister (Renee).
“The next thing I know, I’m staying at their home,” Narcisse marvels. “I didn’t have to pay rent. They treated me like family right away.
“They took care of me, man. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame. Everything was so stable. I had a family to come home to and talk with every night, even if I had a bad game or the team had a bad game.
“It was unbelievable.”
So were the numbers — such as lifetime totals of 12,366 receiving yards (ninth all-time, and tops among wideouts) and 75 touchdowns.
He also registered eight 1,000-yard seasons and at least one catch in each of the 216 games he played for the Green and White.
Not bad for someone who, once upon a time, figured that he would play the trumpet instead of high school football.
The secret? An uncannily reliable pair of hands.
An ability to run geometric pass patterns was also beneficial.
And the attitude? Unbeatable.
That was evident at a free-agent camp the Roughriders held in Shreveport, La., not long after Narcisse’s graduating season at Texas Southern.
The story, often told, began when Dorothy Narcisse gave her son $40, to be split between himself and quarterback Harold Smith. That was just enough money to get the pair to Shreveport, albeit later than planned after Smith made a wrong turn.
“There were 400 guys out there, they only wanted to keep four, and I’m one of them?” Narcisse says. “Unreal.
“I asked Coach John Gregory, ‘Do you need any receivers?’ He said, ‘No, we don’t need any receivers — but we need you.’
“He wants me?! I was so happy. I was thinking, ‘We’ve got to go there.’ ”
Not so fast. And, yes, he was not so fast, but the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals were interested, regardless. They signed Narcisse as an undrafted free agent and, before too long, he was at the Cardinals’ training camp along with a second-year pro quarterback named Kent Austin.
Despite an absolute lack of NFL draft credentials, Narcisse lasted until the final cutdown.
“When I got released, the receivers coach brought me into the lunchroom,” Narcisse says. “He said, ‘You didn’t do anything wrong. The reason you didn’t make it was because of the long snapper.’ They had to keep him because they needed a long snapper and he didn’t play another position.
“He told me this and I started crying. I said, ‘What are y’all doing?’ He came over and hugged me. I cried hard.
“The next day, I talked to the head coach. He said, ‘There’s a team named the Saskatchewan Roughriders that is calling. They want you to go there, but we want you to stay.’
“I called my mama … crying. She said, ‘When one door closes, another one opens,’ so I flew up to Saskatchewan the next day.
“I got there in the middle of practice. They had me run 10 pass routes right away. They started with a hook pattern, which was my favourite.
“I caught nine of those 10 passes.”
Austin soon caught a flight to Regina after he, too, was cut by the Cardinals.
With Austin new in town and still learning the playbook, rookie Jeff Bentrim started at quarterback for Saskatchewan on Sept. 19, 1987 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.
Although the host side won 34-13, it was an auspicious CFL debut for Narcisse, who had a team-high five catches for 40 yards, including a nine-yard touchdown connection with Bentrim.
Little did Narcisse suspect that he would not reach the end zone again until the 1989 season opener.
Following an injury-marred 1988 campaign, Narcisse caught two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Tom Burgess as Saskatchewan rallied for a 32-29 victory over the visiting Calgary Stampeders on July 12, 1989.
Such was the ignition for a breakout season by Narcisse, who caught 81 passes for 1,419 yards and 11 TDs. The latter two totals turned out to be career single-season highs.
The 1989 season was punctuated by Saskatchewan’s 43-40 Grey Cup victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Austin was named the game’s offensive MVP after throwing for 474 yards and three touchdowns — second-quarter strikes to Narcisse, Ray Elgaard and Jeff Fairholm.
Beginning in 1989, Narcisse registered seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons before hitting four digits once more in 1998. At age 33, he was named a CFL all-star for the fourth and final time.
By then, he was well-established as a star on and off the field. His numerous contributions to the community included a foundational presence with SaskEnergy’s “Catch For Kids” program.
All these years later, Narcisse is still doing his utmost to provide a positive influence. As a personal trainer, he works with young athletes in addition to operating a small business with his wife, Cassandra.
“My wife always says, ‘He’s talking about his heyday again,’ ” Narcisse says with a laugh. “I could talk about Saskatchewan stuff all day, every day. To play in Saskatchewan for 13 years was a blessing.”
Don and Cassandra Narcisse are also blessed with three children — Sienna, Donald Jr., and Chelsea — who are well into their 20s.
So was the Roughriders’ No. 80, during his heyday.
Even at the apex of his excellence, nobody has ever cheered for him more strenuously than was the case when he was diagnosed with Stage 1 prostate cancer in 2018.
“I was so scared,” Narcisse remembers. “My sister (Pam) had pancreatic cancer. After I was diagnosed, she showed up at my house without me knowing she was coming. She brought my entire family.
“She said, ‘Hey, big bro, we’re going to take care of you. Post something on Facebook. You can help people out and they can help you out.’ ”
Narcisse’s social-media post generated a flood of responses and created innumerable friendships.
“One guy, I sent him all my numbers,” Narcisse recalls. “He said, ‘Don, this is what you’ve got to do.’
“I was blessed. There were five people I can point to who really helped me out.
“Since then, other people have been hitting me up and I’ve tried to help them out. I explain everything to them, just like people helped me.”
With those experiences in mind, Narcisse is more appreciative than ever of each day. Birthdays are especially significant in light of all the reminders of life’s fragility.
So he will enjoy this day, while treasuring every moment and the people around him.
“I got a haircut and I got the grey out of the hair,” a chuckling Narcisse says when asked about plans for commemorating No. 58. “I might put something on Facebook that shows me moving around in my man-cave.”
Asked whether the video will include the patented, rubber-legged touchdown dance, Narcisse concedes that — as good as he feels — age has been impactful in one respect.
“I ain’t going to do the dance,” he says, noting that he will enjoy the day.
“As for turning 58, I never look at the numbers. After dealing with prostate cancer, I know that a lot of things can happen.
“I’m just happy to be here, man.”
