It took McGowan several training camps (one with the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL) and a couple of years until he ended up in Edmonton as a receiver.
An injury limited his performance to 8 receptions in 1974, but McGowan provided the comeback story of the next year, catching a then-record 98 passes for 1,472 yards.
George McGowan was always considered the equal of the great receivers of his day, and was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
His former head coach, Ray Jauch, recalled, "George ran patterns just like they were drawn up in the playbook.
And although he didn't possess great speed, his quickness allowed him to break the odd long one.