Tom Cloutier played college football at the University of California - Berkeley on a scholarship, and played in the 1959 Rose Bowl. After a hitch in the U.S Army, Tom Cloutier played two seasons in the CFL as a wide receiver. Cloutier played in all 14 games for the Montreal Alouettes in 1962, and then 11 games with the Toronto Argonauts in 1963. Cloutier, who was borfn in California, was classified in 1962 as an non-import. Apparently Cloutier's father was Canadian and the initial paperwork filed with the league indicated Cloutier had been born in Quebec. The error was not discovered until 1963, amid allegations that Cloutier's birth certificate had been tampered with by parties unknown. Cloutier was then reclassified as an imort. There had been a rule that allowed dual-citizens such as Cloutier to be classified as non import, but that rule was removed after 1961.
"Bad paperwork" seemed to be a theme of Cloutier's time in Canda as he was in trouble with th 3epolice in July of 1963 over some cheques. This might have had something to do with Cloutier being put on waivers, where he was picked up by Toronto. An injury finished Cloutier's football career and Cloutier moved on to become one of the best professional poker players in World. Cloutier has twice been a runner-up in the World Series of Poker, and was elected to the Poker Hall of Fame in 2006.
Cloutier In Trouble Over Cheques - July 9, 1963
American Born Grid Star Classified as Canadian - September 6, 1963
Birth Certificate Tampered With - Novermber 24, 1965
Profile of T.J. Cloutier the Poker Player
| Team | Year | GP | Rec | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | 1962 | 14 | 12 | 199 | 16.6 | 34 | 1 | 6 |
| TOR | 1963 | 11 | 20 | 254 | 12.7 | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| Year | Team | KOR | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | MON | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963 | TOR | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
