By: Paul Garner
My Favourite TigerTown Moment came when I was 12 years old and living on Gage Ave South, not too far from what was then called – Civic Stadium.
It was a fall Saturday afternoon – overcast and cool as I remember. It was 1961 and Cats were playing the second game of a playoff total points version against archrival Toronto Argonauts.
The Argos had beaten our Tabbies in Toronto the week previous quite handily. They had built up a sizeable point advantage and everything appeared that they just had to coast through the second game to win it all. But the Cats, in great Hamilton blue-collar fashion, got down to work and had actually tied the series by game’s end. The fans were beside themselves with excitement. The stadium was rocking and I could hear the roars at my house, where the game was on TV. I was glued to the set as it was ready to go to overtime.
Overtime saw the Argos work themselves down to near the Hamilton goal line and it looked gloomy for our beloved Cats. Rather than go for a field go, the Argos elected to use the talented foot of punter Dave Mann to boot the ball right through the end zone and give Hamilton absolutely no chance of coming back. After all one point would win it.
Hamilton put Cam Fraser their great punter in the end zone with the hope of kicking the ball back out, if it actually came to him. They also put their quarterback, Bernie Faloney, in the end zone because he was also a pretty good punter. Mann punted and it went straight up and didn’t get nearly the distance that the Argos had hoped for. It came to a Hamilton player (can’t remember if it was Fraser or not) and it was kicked out of the end zone. The Argos recovered it and quickly kicked it back in the end zone.
Bernie Faloney caught the ball. At this point I, along with two friends and my dear old mom, are screaming. Faloney got out of the end zone. Whew! All is well, but wait. He dodged around a few players, then a few more and holy smokes he was starting to get in the open area. Now everyone in my house, including my mom, is running with him. We’re screaming. Faloney runs and he runs. He is the only player in the camera view. Where the heck is the end zone? There it is. Can he hold on and not fall down from fatigue? We are all figuratively carrying him. He scores! Pandemonium! The Civic Stadium crowd is delirious. My house is bouncing. But wait. Flag on the play. Clipping on Hamilton. It’s all coming back, but the Ticats have the momentum now and nothing can stop them. They eventually won in overtime.
I will never forget that Tiger-Cat moment. God bless Bernie Faloney for the thrill, the excitement and most of all the memory.
