Legendary CFL receiver Ben Cahoon is BYU's new receivers coach

Ben Cahoon isn't catching passes any more, but the legendary CFL slotback is still going to have an impact on future receivers. Cahoon was announced as Brigham Young University's new receivers coach Wednesday, which is a return to the job for him; he coached the receivers at BYU (his alma mater) from 2011 to 2012. Before that, Cahoon had a remarkable 13-year CFL career with the Montreal Alouettes from 1998 to 2010, retiring with the most receptions in CFL history (1,017, since surpassed by Geroy Simon) and the most receptions in Grey Cup history (46 for 658 yards, still a record). Cahoon's career is proof of how unconventional receivers can excel in the CFL, and if he's able to pass his knowledge on through coaching, he could be important to developing future stars in the NCAA, NFL and CFL ranks.

Few would have pegged Cahoon as a football player from his size, much less a star. Listed as just 5'9'' and 185 pounds, he was small by even CFL standards, and unlike some of the smaller guys who have found great success north of the border, he wasn't a blazing-fast burner who could blow by bigger defenders on the outside. Cahoon had decent speed, but what really stood out was his precision and his hands; he constantly ran terrific routes, especially over the middle, and showed a knack for making incredible catches in traffic and hanging on despite hits. Here's one of his best, a grab using a defender's helmet against Saskatchewan in 2009:

Cahoon was the perfect receiver to pair with a high-completion quarterback like Anthony Calvillo. That Calvillo-to-Cahoon connection was essential to over a decade of success for Montreal, including three Grey Cup victories. However, it almost didn't happen on both ends; Calvillo's famed CFL career started with mediocre stops in Las Vegas and Hamilton, and didn't take off until he learned under Tracy Ham in Montreal, while Cahoon was passed over by the NFL despite his remarkable success at BYU (including being part of their 14-win season in 1996 and hauling in 84 catches in 1997) and was only a hot CFL prospect thanks to counting as Canadian under the import rule (he was born in Utah, but spent much of his childhood in Alberta). Alouettes' GM Jim Popp thought highly of him, though, drafting him sixth overall in 1996, and that paved the way for a remarkable receiving career. Here are some of his best highlights:

Cahoon's career is a great case in point that it's often the underrated people who succeed in the CFL. If he had been bigger and put up the stats he did in college, he likely would have been a hot NFL prospect, but that league didn't have much room for 5'9'' receivers then (especially ones without top-drawer speed). Even opposing CFL defences sometimes disrepected him, to their own downfall; Cahoon was a three-time league all-star, an 11-time divisional all-star, and a two-time Most Outstanding Canadian. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2014, and deservedly so. It's good to see him back in coaching at a high level, and he certainly has plenty of experience that he can pass on to his receivers—including that you don't have to be the biggest or the fastest to have an incredible career.