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Anthony Calvillo retired as pro football’s career passing leader. But the first time he met Don Matthews in 2002, five seasons into his Alouettes career, he was nervous and intimidated.

“I wasn’t sure what he was going to do with me,” Calvillo told the Montreal Gazette Wednesday, upon learning of the death of the legendary Matthews at age 77. “When I had my first meeting with him he basically told me ‘Anthony, we’re going to build this team around you. You’re going to go out there and lead us.’

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“To have that type of confidence coming from your head coach really set the tone for the rest of my career,” added Calvillo, now the Als’ quarterbacks coach. He retired due to a concussion after the 2013 season. “He changed the course of my career. It changed everything for me.”

Calvillo, who will be inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in September, passed for 79,816 yards. He was named the Canadian Football League’s outstanding player three times, including 2003 under Matthews. Five times Calvillo was named a league all-star, including 2002 and ’03 under Matthews.