- 1999 -

11 Wins 7 Losses - 2nd Place East Division

- Brian Snelgrove - Ticats.ca -

It was, hands down, the finest season by a quarterback in Hamilton Tiger-Cat history.

The year was 1999 and in that Grey Cup season, Danny McManus rewrote the Black and Gold record book. McManus established a club mark for most yards passing in a single season with 5,334. He set the team standard for both attempts (612) and completions (365) in a season. He was named the league's Most Outstanding Player and capped off an incredible year by being named Most Valuable Player in the 87th Grey Cup.

"It all started with our ‘O’ line and it was like I couldn't miss," says McManus a decade later. "The biggest thing was training camp. (Coach) Lancaster showed us a replay of the '98 game and then never said another word about it. It sort of set the tone for the season. We had the proper mind set as a team and everybody was a role player.  Anything less than a trip to the Grey Cup would have been a disappointment."

McManus was good on 22 of 34 pass attempts for 347 yards and two touchdowns in the final as he led the Cats to a 32-21 victory over the Stampeders.  It was the first Grey Cup for the Tabbies since 1986.

"We got out quickly in that game and never let up," says McManus. "We moved the ball well, the whole game. The Stampeders had a good defense but we never slowed down. We didn't slack up."

"The thing I will always remember most is the celebration after the game. It was a great joy for me… watching my teammates celebrate up on the platform holding the Cup. A lot of these guys had been there from that terrible season in '97 and it was great to see."

"It was great for the city, there was a huge parade and I have never seen that many people at one time in Hamilton," says the former Ticat pivot. "And we did it as a team. Hamilton will always be home to me."

McManus is unquestionably the greatest quarterback in Ticat history. He dominates the all-time passing records section of the club media guide: most career passing yards (33,841), nearly double Mike Kerrigan (17,761); most attempts (4,257); most completions (2,368) and most career touchdown passes with 164.

He is the only Ticat QB to throw for more than 5,000 yards and McManus did it twice- he threw for 5034 yards in 2004. He holds the team record for most touchdown passes in a season with 29 also set in 2004.

McManus is currently the Tiger-Cats Southeastern Region Scout and lives in Sarasota, Florida with his wife and three children. He spends the football season in Canada and also finds time to conduct camps and clinics for young aspiring quarterbacks.

"We knew we had a very good team back in '99," he says. "We just tried to get better and better each week. It paid off with the Grey Cup."

In his fourth championship appearance, Darren Flutie was pure magic.

The Hamilton slot back (1998-2002) hauled in six passes for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Tiger-Cats prevailed in the 87th edition of the Grey Cup  classic.

“This was my fourth Cup and I hadn’t really had a big game up to that point,” says the former Ticat great. “It was my first 100 yard receiving game in a Grey Cup, plus the two touchdowns. It felt good to have a big game.”

Flutie’s fondest personal memory of the game is his second touchdown scored early in the fourth quarter. “In the corner, double-covered, Danny (McManus) had the confidence that I could go and get it and I did. That really sealed the deal for us,” he said.

“I think to a man we thought we had outplayed Calgary in ‘98 and had a lot of confidence from day one at training camp,” Flutie adds. “In ’99 we put it all together. Most teams that win championships have great chemistry. More than anything else that is what made us champions. We had a great bunch of guys and it was extra special with Lancaster as coach. We were very strong defensively and had two good running backs in Archie Amerson and Ron Williams; great receivers like Mike Morreale and Andrew Grigg and outstanding defensive players like Calvin Tiggle, Joe Montford, Orlondo Steinauer, Gerald Vaughn and Mike Philbrick.”

Flutie came to Hamilton as a free agent, following many outstanding seasons with both B.C. (1991-95) and Edmonton (1996-97). He was coaxed along by new head coach and CFL legend Ron Lancaster as well as quarterback Danny McManus. “They both convinced me that Hamilton was the place to go,” says Flutie.

Flutie would set the Tiger-Cat single season reception record with 98 catches in 1998. Four times in his Hamilton stint he had more than 1,000 yards receiving. He ranks fifth in career receiving yardage for the Ticats (5,796) and is fourth all-time with 405 receptions.
In the Ticats Grey Cup season he led the team with 84 receptions for 1,155 yards and seven touchdowns. Flutie was named a CFL all-star for the third time.

He retired following the 2002 season and served as an analyst on CBC for CFL games from 2002-06.

Like his older brother Doug, Flutie attended Boston College, and currently lives in Natick, Massachusetts. He is a partner in Artherx, an orthopedic supply distribution company located in nearby Boston. Married with two children, he keeps busy coaching baseball and basketball. Flutie follows the fortunes of the Ticats and keeps in touch with many of his former teammates.

“I’m hoping to get my son back up there for a Labour Day Classic,” he says. “I always appreciated it when the retired players came back.”

Darren Flutie’s outstanding 12 year CFL career culminated in his induction into the CFL Hall of Fame in 2007.

1999 Team Statistics

Quarterback

Running Back

Receiver

Kicker

Darren Flutie and Andrew Grigg celebrate

Ivor Wynne Stadium

Avg Att: 20,051

Week 1 @ Winnipeg

Hamilton 39,

WINNIPEG 9

Att: 29681

Ronald Williams scored on a pair of one-yard runs and caught a TD pass as the Tiger-Cats rolled. Danny McManus was 18-for-37 for 202 yards and one score for the Tiger-Cats..

Week 2 v Montreal

Montreal 22,

HAMILTON 16

Att: 18352

Tyree Davis caught five passes for 115 yards to lead the Alouettes to the win, as Hamilton QB Danny McManus was 29-of-51 for 368 yards and five interceptions.

Week 3 @ Toronto

TORONTO 24,

Hamilton 21

Att: 25558

Dan Giancola kicked his third FG of the game, a 42-yarder as time expired, to give the Argonauts the win after they squandered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Week 4 v Edmonton

HAMILTON 54,

Edmonton 8

Att: 16815

Ronald Williams ran for a pair of TDs as the Tiger-Cats demolished the Eskimos. Hamilton dominated the Eskimos, outgaining them, 451-199.

Week 5 v Saskatchewan

HAMILTON 63,

Saskatchewan 17

Att: 16423

DJoe Hagins brought back a fumble and an interception for TD and Orlondo Steinauer scored TDs on an interception and punt return as the Cats built a 32-point lead in the 1st half.

Week 6 @ Montreal

MONTREAL 24,

Hamilton 17

Att: 19461

Thomas Haskins ran for 169 yards and a TD and Terry Baker kicked three FGs to lead the Alouettes, while Anthony Calvillo completed 15-of-29 passes for 298 yards and a TD.

Week 7 v BC

BC 38,

HAMILTON 33

Att: 18875

Damon Allen threw for a pair of TDs and put his team ahead for good with a 16-yard scoring run in the third quarter as the Lions held off the Tiger-Cats and stayed tied for first..

Week 8 @ Edmonton

Hamilton 30,

EDMONTON 23

Att: 34180

QB Danny McManus scored on a two-yard TD run in the first OT. Hamilton DB Rick Walters intercepted Dan Crowley to set up the drive. Ronald Williams ran for 29 yards on the drive.

Week 9 v Toronto

HAMILTON 35,

Toronto 28

Att: 28895

 Paul Osbaldiston's 44-yard FG five minutes into the fourth quarter snapped a tie and Danny McManus hit Darren Flutie for a nine-yard TD pass later in the period as the Ti-Cats held on.

Week 10 @ Montreal

Hamilton 19,

MONTREAL 52

Att: 19461

Anthony Calvillo passed for three TDs and ran for another to lead the Alouettes to their third straight home win. Mike Pringle rushed for 103 yards and two TDs for the Als.

Week 11 v Winnipeg

HAMILTON 65,

Winnipeg 15

Att: 17157

The Ti-Cats posted the most lopsided victory in team history as Danny McManus threw five TD passes. The 50-point rout eclipsed Hamilton's 67-21 victory over Saskatchewan in 1962.

Week 12 v Montreal

HAMILTON 39,

Montreal 13

Att: 20648

Paul Osbaldiston kicked six FGs and the Tiger-Cats allowed just one first down in the first half en route to a romp over the Montreal Alouettes, avenging a 33-point loss earlier this month..

Week 13 @ Calgary

CALGARY 21,

Hamilton 17

Att: 26062

Mark McLoughlin kicked five FGs and Duane Forde scored on a short run as the Stamps moved within one-half game of the West lead. Hamilton QB Danny McManus threw for 338 yards.

Week 14 @ Winnipeg

Hamilton 43,

WINNIPEG 16

Att: 21915

Danny McManus threw four TD passes to Tony Akins, leading the Tiger-Cats. McManus was an efficient 19-of-21 for 411 yards without an interception. Akin had eight receptions for 257 yards.

Week 15 v Toronto

HAMILTON 18,

Toronto 2

Att: 23832

Paul Osbaldiston kicked six FGs, while Hamilton QB  Danny McManus became the 2nd player in CFL history to record five straight 4,000-yard passing seasons, joining Kent Austin.

Week 16 @ Saskatchewan

Hamilton 42,

SASKATCHEWAN 12

Att: 18166

Ronald Williams had a pair of one-yard TD runs and Danny McManus passed for 388 yards and ran for a score as the Tiger-Cats reeled off 35 straight points..

Week 17 @ BC

Hamilton 21,

BC 26

Att: 18817

Damon Allen threw a pair of TD passes and the Lions moved into first place in the West. Allen found Lloyd Henry with an eight-yard TD pass to put the Lions ahead for good, 11-3..

Week 18 v Calgary

HAMILTON 31,

Calgary 28

Att: 19460

Paul Osbaldiston kicked a 17-yard FG with 12 seconds remaining as the Tiger-Cats won. Tony Martino got Calgary even with 4:10 left on a 68-yard single off a punt..

Eastern Semi-final

HAMILTON 27,

Toronto 6

Att: 21873

The Tiger-Cats forced five turnovers including an interception for a score. Hamilton recovered four of eight Argo fumbles and picked off Jimmy Kemp once. CB Shino Prater raced 53 yards for a TD late in the fourth to cap the scoring.

Eastern Final

HAMILTON 27,

Montreal 26

Att: 19461

Hamilton RB Ronald Williams plunged for a 1-yard TD with 1:37 left, and scored three TDs to help Hamilton advance to the Grey Cup for the second year in a row. The defense forced Montreal to turn the ball over on downs in the final minute.

Grey Cup

Hamilton 32,

Calgary 21

Att: 45118

Danny McManus threw two TD passes to Darren Flutie, including a key seven-yard strike to open the fourth quarter, to give the Tiger-Cats the Grey Cup for the first time since 1986. McManus, who completed 22 of 34 passes for 347 yards, was the outstanding player. Stampeders QB Dave Dickenson, playing with a painful shoulder injury, led a pair of TD drives in the third quarter to cut a 22-0 lead to eight. But Hamilton assumed control early, and despite Dickenson's third-quarter heroics, never appeared threatened. Hamilton's steady offensive line, which set a CFL record with only seven sacks allowed this season, easily handled Calgary's defensive front..