Back in 1949, Ezzrett Anderson thought his football career was over.

The Kentucky State alum had played for semi-pro teams in the Los Angeles area in the mid-1940s but by 1949 Anderson had started an acting career and believed he had no further use for the football skills and speed that had earned him the nickname “Sugarfoot.”

That’s when fate — and Woody Strode — stepped in.

Anderson was between takes on a movie set when former teammate and fellow actor Strode walked in with Calgary Stampeders head coach Les Lear.

“Woody told Les Lear I was the greatest tight end in the world,” recalled Anderson. “So they talked me into coming to Calgary.

“That,” says the man who admits he had previously never heard of Calgary, “is how I became a Stampeder.”

Officially, Sugarfoot played with the Red and White from 1949 to 1955 but for all intents and purposes he became a Stampeder for life. The Nashville, Ark., native settled in Calgary after his playing career and remained active with the Stamps as a ticket account rep and ambassador into his 90s. Now 96, the living legend remains a familiar face at Stamps events and this week he was honoured at the Stampeders alumni’s annual golf tournament.

Anderson wasted no time making an impact in Calgary, earning all-star honours in his first season. He also had no problem speaking up, like the time Lear — a player-coach — jumped offside in a game against the Roughriders.

“I was the captain of the team and I walked up to him and I said, ‘If you ever jump offside like that again, I’m going to choke you,’ ” said Anderson with a hearty laugh. “He looked at me and he said, ‘I’ll never do it again, Sugar.’ ”

The Stamps got to the Grey Cup game that year but fell short in their matchup against the Montreal Alouettes. Upon returning to Calgary, a surprise waited the players at the train station.

“What impressed me about the people in this city is that 60,000 people were waiting for us at the station,” he recalled. “And we lost. I was wondering if we had won the game. The population at that time was 125,000. I wonder what would have happened if we had won the game. That was one of my favourite memories.”

Anderson made 142 catches for 2,020 yards as a member of the Red and White and scored 10 touchdowns. He was added to the Stampeders Wall of Fame in 1990 and to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.

In addition to his exploits on the field, he earned respect for the way he carried himself off the field. When a golf course that otherwise didn’t admit visible minorities offered him a membership, he declined.

Anderson has been a frequent and popular visitor to McMahon for many years and he has earned legions of friends with his good humour, story-telling prowess and, when the mood strikes him, a mean rendition of a blues song.

On the field for the Stamps, he wore double-zero.

For generations of fans and friends, he is an absolute hero.