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-- timeline --
Bernie Faloney
- Maryland - 1957-64 - Quarterback
John Barrow
- University of Florida - 1957-70 - Offensive/Defensive Tackle
Angelo Mosca
#68
Notre Dame - 1958-59,
62-72 -
Defensive Line
From Massachusetts Angelo Mosca came to Canada from Notre Dame to
play in the CFL in 1958 and was a star player through the '60s and
into the 1970's. One of the best-known players in league history
with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, infamous for an incident in the 1963
Grey Cup when he injured B.C. Lions star player (and future Hall of
Famer) Willie Fleming in what was thought to be a premeditated late,
out-of-bounds hit. In true pro wrestling style, Mosca has denied it
to this day, and the tapes seemed to show that he was committed to
making the hit before Fleming was tackled by another player. Mosca
carried his reputation with pride and Hamilton won the Cup, and won
it again in 1965, 1967, and 1972. Angelo has made Hamilton his home
and the rugged nature of Steeltown suits his personality perfectly.
Garney Henley #26
University of South Dakota - 1960-75 -
Defensive Back/Flanker
Arguably the most
versatile athlete in Canadian Football History. Garney Henley was a
tremendous athlete and a once-in-a-lifetime football player. A member
of the College Football Hall of Fame, the native of South Dakota spent
16 seasons with the Hamilton Tiger Cats capturing 4 Grey Cups and a
Most Outstanding Player Award in 1972. A true
Gentleman and a Tiger and CFL legend
for the Steeltown faithful.
Frank Cosentino
- Western - 1960-66 - Quarterback
Joe Zuger
- Arizona State - 1962-71 - Quarterback/Punter
Dave Fleming
- Pittsburgh - 1965-74 - Running Back
Tommy Joe Coffey
- West Texas University - 1967-72 - Wide Receiver/Kicker
Al Brenner
- Michigan State - 1971-74 - Defensive Back
Chuck Ealey #16
Toledo - 1972-74 - Quarterback
The
Hamilton Tiger Cats signed Chuck Ealey prior to
the 1972 season. Ealey was coming off an NCAA record 35 game winning
streak with the Toledo Rockets that still stands. Ealey had offers from
the NFL to play as a running back but elected to sign with Hamilton and
continue his career at quarterback. He was an instant success with
Hamilton winning the Schenley for Outstanding Rookie in 1972 and named MVP
of the '72 Grey Cup in which Hamilton defeated Saskatchewan 13-10 on a
last second field goal at newly renovated Ivor Wynne Stadium. Ealey lasted
just over two seasons with Hamilton before moving on to Winnipeg and
then Toronto but his magical rookie season lasts as the highlight of
his professional career.
Jimmy Jones
- USC - 1976-78 - Quarterback
Jimmy Edwards
- Oklahoma - 1976-78 - Running Back
Rocky Dipietro #23
Ottawa - 1978-91 - Slotback
A hardnosed kid from Sault Ste. Marie with the ability to catch a football
– that was the basis for Rocky Dipietro
to carve out a hall of fame career in the Canadian Football League. For
Rocky Dipietro it was his determination that took him from senior football
in Sault Ste. Marie to the
University of Ottawa and then to the
Canadian Football League. Dipietro
played 14 seasons for the Hamilton Tiger Cats and is on the team's wall of
honour.
Ben Zambiasi
- University of Georgia - 1978-88 - Linebacker
Leif Pettersen
- Otterbein College - 1978-81 - Receiver
Tom Clements
- Notre Dame - 1979, 81-83 - Quarterback
Rufus Crawford
- Virginia State - 1979-85 - Running Back
Grover Covington #77
Johnson C. Smith - 1981-91 - Defensive Back
Defensive
End Grover Covington terrorized CFL
quarterbacks in the 1980's. Grover came to Hamilton in a trade with
Montreal prior to the 1981 season after graduating from Johnson C. Smith
University in 1980. The 6'3" 255 pound end was a force on defence, leading the CFL in sacks on 3 occasions and winning
Defensive Player of the year honours in 1988. He totalled 3 sacks in the Tiger
Cas 1986 Grey Cup victory over Edmonton 39-16 and was named top Defensive
Player of the title game that year. He retired after the 1991 season compiling a CFL
record 157 career quarterback sacks
Dieter Brock
- Jacksonville State - 1983-84 - Quarterback
Less Browne
- Colorado State - 1984-88 - Defensive Back
Tony Champion
- Tennessee Marthin - 1985-92 - Wide Receiver
Paul Osbaldiston
- Simon Fraser - 1986-03 - Kicker
Mike Kerrigan
- Northwestern - 1986-91, 95-96 - Quarterback
Earl Winfield #1
University of North Carolina - 1987-97 - Receiver
One of the most popular and beloved players
in Tiger Cat history is receiver Earl Winfield. Earl joined Hamilton in
1987 and was the teams most outstanding player 5 times and a division
all-star on 4 occasions. He enjoyed his best season in 1995 with 1,496
yard receiving and 13 touchdowns. He retired after the 1996 season but
returned for a brief stint in late '97 before retiring for good as the
team leader in career receiving yards and touchdowns.
Todd
Dillon
- Long Beach State - 1988-94 - Quarterback
Don McPherson
- Syracuse - 1991-93 - Quarterback
Tim Cofield
- Elizabeth City State - 1991 - 94 - Defensive End
Timm Rosenbach
- Washington State - 1994 - Quarterback
Rob Hitchcock
- Weber State - 1995-2006 - Safety
Joe Montford #53
South Carolina State - 1996-01, 03-04 - Defensive End
Joe Montford was an unstoppable force in the CFL for 12 seasons. For the
majority of his career it was as a Hamilton Tiger Cat that he terrorized
opposing quarterbacks from his Rush End position. Following in a line of
great Ti-Cat Defensive Lineman that contains
Angelo Mosca and
Grover Convingtion. Montford captured 3 Most Outstanding Defensive Player Awards
while compiling an incredible 135 sacks over his career.
Mike Morreale
- McMaster - 1997-01. 04-06 - Receiver
Archie Amerson
#9
Northern Arizona - 1997-04 - Running
Back
Archie
Amerson signed with Hamilton
in 1997 and immediately had an impact as a running back and catching the
ball out of the backfield. In 1998, Amerson had over 700 yards rushing
and over 700 yards receiving as the focal point of the Cats offence.
Teaming with Ronald Williams; Amerson led a resurgence for the Tiger Cats
franchise culminating in back to back Grey Cup appearances in 1998
and 1999.
Danny McManus #14
Florida State - 1998-05 - Quarterback
Danny spent 16 seasons in the CFL. He won the Grey Cup 3 times in 6
appearances. He spent the majority of his
career and left the biggest impression over his 8 seasons with the
Hamilton Tiger Cats. Joining Hamilton in 1998 along with coach
Ron Lancaster and receiver
Darren Flutie the Tiger Cats immediately
became perennial threats in the Eastern division. 1999 was without a doubt
Danny's finest year as a pro he passed for 5,334 yards, 28
touchdowns and was named the leagues Outstanding Player. In addition,
to those regular season accomplishments he also led Hamilton to a Grey Cup
victory over Calgary 32-21 and was named the Most Outstanding Player in
the game.
Ronald Williams
- Clemson - 1998-01 - Running Back
Darren Flutie
- Boston College - 1998-02 - Wide Receiver
Troy Davis
- Iowa State - 2001-05 - Running Back
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-- features --
1967
1972
1999
'Ralph'
Ballard & Clements
Ivor Wynne
-- highlights --
Bernie Faloney
joined the Tiger Cats in 1957 after 2 years with the U.S. Air Force.
The Maryland product would go on to have the greatest career of any
quarterback in Tiger Cat history. He led Hamilton to 7 Grey Cups
winning in 1957, and '63. He also captured Most Outstanding Player
honours in 1961. An terrific athlete and an amazing citizen he was
inexplicably traded to Montreal in 1965.
Ben Zambiasi
was a ferocious linebacker for
the Hamilton Tiger Cats for 10 seasons. He joined the club after a brief
stint with the Chicago Bears in 1978 and was an instant success. The
Georgia grad was runner up for league rookie of the year honours in '78
after just 10 games. He continued his dominance at linebacker into the
1980's as he Ben Zambiasiwas named a league all-star every season from 1978-82.
Although only 6'1" and 215 lbs Zambiasi was a feared defender known for
his punishing hits. The team won the Grey Cup in 1986 behind the clubs
dominant defence led by Ben Zambiasi. He left the club in March 1988 and
spent his final season in the league with Toronto in 1989. A true legend
in the long history of dominant Ticat defensive players.
Rufus Crawford
was a multi-talented athlete with Hamilton for 7 seasons. He was equally
adept as a receiver or rushing the ball out of the backfield. Crawford was
also a dangerous threat on special teams returning kickoffs and punts.
Crawford set a league mark (since surpassed) in 1984 for combined yards
and was named the Eastern division's Most Outstanding Player. One of the
first modern day multi-purpose players, Crawford could change a game in so
many ways. Over his career Rufus had 18 touchdowns rushing, 8 receiving
and 2 on punt returns. The North Carolina native retired at the young age
of 30 to pursue other opportunities including acting but he remains to
this day one of the most versatile offensive performers in league history.
Tony Champion
holds a special place in the hearts of all Tiger Cat fans. The lanky
graduate of the University of Tennessee-Martin had an outstanding 7 year
career with Hamilton. What stands above all of the statistics Champion
compiled is what many consider the greatest catch in football. In the 1989
Grey Cup, Hamilton battled the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the newly
minted Skydome. Suffering from broken ribs; Champion made a spectacular,
twisting, catch falling backward into the end zone, the play stands as a
signature play in Grey Cup and CFL history. Champion had 14 touchdown
receptions that season and although Hamilton would lose the Grey Cup that
day, Champion and that catch will not soon be forgotten.
Darren Flutie's one-handed
touchdown catch was the
highlight of Hamilton's 32-21 Grey Cup victory over the Calgary Stampeders at B.C.Place
in 1999. He is considered one of the greatest Canadian Football League
receivers of all-time. Doug Flutie's younger brother, played 12 seasons in the
CFL before retiring in 2002 as the league's all-time leader in receptions
(972) and second all-time in receiving yards (14,359). During his career,
Flutie scored 66 touchdowns, averaged 14.8 yards per catch and played in
four Grey Cup games, winning twice.
-- grey cup --
1985
1989
-- stadium attendance --
Ivor Wynne Stadium
Capacity (28,830)
High Season: 32,091
(1972)
Low Season: 13,834
(1990)
2012 Avg: 25,724
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