18 Facts About Sonny Wade

Sonny Wade played professionally for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League from 1969 to 1978.

Sonny Wade was selected to the first team all-state football team as both a quarterback and punter.

Not only excelling in football, Sonny Wade was on the 1964 State Basketball Championship team and performed well enough on the baseball diamond so that he was offered a professional baseball contract by the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise out of high school.

Spurning the baseball contract, Sonny Wade decided to attend Virginia Tech on a full football scholarship after graduating in 1965.

Once at Virginia Tech, Sonny Wade was one of 9 Freshman quarterbacks and earned his position as the quarterback of the Freshman team.

Sonny Wade led the nation in scoring during the 1967 season with 141 points and with his athletic ability and astute play calling, led the team to a national record in total offence with an average of 553.3 yards per game during the 1968 season.

Sonny Wade was voted Virginia's College Football Player of the Year in 1966,67, and 68.

Sonny Wade was selected by the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League and in the days prior to TV deals and large salaries offered to players, he was offered the same contract terms for both teams and decided to head to Montreal after extensive changes were made in the Philadelphia front office.

Sonny Wade joined the Montreal Alouettes in 1969 after they had suffered 9 straight losing seasons.

Sonny Wade started his first game in Montreal on the defensive side of the ball.

Sonny Wade played his first Canadian Football League plays as the "Monster Man" which is the 12th man in Canadian football that is a hybrid between a defensive back and linebacker.

Sonny Wade was intercepted a total of 30 times that year with only 12 passing TDs.

Sonny Wade was known to perform exceptionally well under difficult weather conditions, playing better in the playoffs than the regular season.

Sonny Wade threw for 89 touchdowns, but his greatest weakness was the interception, and he was picked off 169 times.

Sonny Wade had a record 7 interceptions thrown against the Calgary Stampeders on September 24,1972.

Sonny Wade was the first three-time winner of the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player award, equaled by Doug Flutie and Damon Allen.

Sonny Wade now spends his Wednesday and Saturday mornings as a perennial staple and crowd favorite at the local farmers market where he sells the vegetables he has grown in his personal garden.

Sonny Wade was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 for his accomplishments as a college football standout as well as for his achievements in the Canadian Football League.