Unlikely hero Nick Arbuckle leads Toronto Argonauts to Grey Cup victory

There are unlikely heroes in sports. You can add Toronto Argonauts quarterback Nick Arbuckle high up on the list.

The Argos quarterback Chad Kelly shattered his ankle in a semifinal meaning it was up to Arbuckle on Sunday against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup.

Despite having beaten Winnipeg twice since July 27 — the Bombers’ lone two losses since that date — Toronto came in a double-digit underdog.

Nobody told Arbuckle, who threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns as Toronto won the CFL championship, 41-24. He was named Grey Cup MVP.

Why was Arbuckle such an unlikely hero?

Per the Toronto Star:

Arbuckle, 31, had started 25 games in his CFL career.

He had thrown only 1,017 regular-season passes, with 27 touchdowns and 32 interceptions, and produced an 87.0 quarterback rating over stops with Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Ottawa again, and Toronto again. He didn’t have a contract before this season and was only signed by the Argos when Kelly was suspended for half the season.

Before the Grey Cup, Arbuckle had started one playoff game … in high school.

He was a backup and played tight end that year. His chance came in the playoffs and his team lost.