By: Justin Boone
jboone@ticats.ca
It didn’t take long for Tony Miles to admit that his ties to Hamilton go a little deeper than just his rookie season that he spent in Black and Gold.
“My wife is an old Hamiltonian,” said a smiling Miles, in front of a gathering of media in the Ticats locker room.
“She’s not that old,” quipped Ticats GM Bob O’Billovich, the man who orchestrated the addition of the speedy receiver.
The signing is a perfect marriage for all parties involved. The Ticats needs at receiver have been well documented, and in Miles they acquire the number one pass catcher on the market. For Miles himself, he arrives back in the city he never wanted to leave and is able to stay close to his extended family in the area.
“When you can choose where you’re going, you get a greater sense of stability,” he explained. “I live in Burlington, so I attended most of the home games anyway, and it just feels like I’m a homeboy now, so I’m just happy to be here.”
“The locale from where I live was very appealing, and these fans. These fans are probably the best in the CFL. They’re real passionate about their football team. For good or for bad, they always come, they always cheer, and they deserve a great product and I just want to be a part of the uprising of the Tiger-Cats.”
Miles joked that had he chosen another team in another province, the population probably would have grown by 10 or 15 people because several members of their family from Southern Ontario would have been relocating.
“It’s almost like home to be around here,” stated Miles, a native of Waco, Texas. “My wife is from Ancaster and a lot of her family are from Stoney Creek, so to play here and be a part of this community is amazing. I have more to offer than just playing football.”
One of the things he hopes to offer up to Ticats fans is some wins over his former club, the rival Toronto Argos.
“I started on this side of the rivalry, but it’s a little different because I’ve grown with those guys for five years. They’re like my brothers, but it always feels good to beat your brothers in something though right?”
