When the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visit the SkyDome this Thursday June 13th to play the Argonauts in the teams' first 1996 exhibition game, they will have plenty of ex-Argos in their line-up. Matt Dunigan, Calvin Tiggle, Blaine Schmidt and others are important ingredients for the Tabbies on the field, but off the field few are more important than Neil Lumsden.
As director of business operations, Lumsden was one of the key individuals responsible for the survival and ultimate resurrection of a Tiger-Cat football club that was as good as buried in the fall of 1994. However, a massive ticket campaign, combined with an improved atmosphere at Ivor Wynne Stadium and the awarding of this year's Grey Cup to Steeltown, have made the Ti-Cats an integral part of the Hamilton community once again, and Lumsden thinks the same can happen in the CFL's other eastern markets.
"Absolutely, I think the timing in sports is perfect for it," said Lumsden. "Fans are sick of the spoiled, million dollar athletes. In the purest sense, the CFL represents high quality football, with guys who stay in town and become part of the community."
A bruising fullback who led the University of Ottawa to its first CIAU title in 1975, Lumsden came back to Toronto in 1976, where he grew up and played at Northern Secondary School. He went on to have an outstanding rookie season for the Argos, gaining 412 yards on 85 rushes and earning the Frank Gibson Trophy as the CFL East's top rookie.
"The best thing for me was that Anthony Davis got hurt and went down, and it gave the fullback the opportunity to carry the ball," said Lumsden, who remembers the great fan support all the eastern teams received during that time. "In all the places, it was great. I remember being in Montreal in front of 67,000 people and not being able to hear yourself think."
"Lumpy" went on to have an even better sophomore season, leading the team in rushing with 680 yards on 145 carries. After playing sporadically the next year, Lumsden moved on to Edmonton, where he was a significant part of the great Eskimo dynasty of the late '70's and early '80's, being a member of three of the five straight Grey Cup winning teams.
After his playing career ended in the mid-80's, Lumsden moved into the broadcast booth as a colour commentator on CFL telecasts, combining with the great Dave Hodge to produce as good a broadcast booth pairing as has been seen in sports.
"I really liked the broadcasting part; I had a lot of fun," said Lumsden, who has now done it all in football: playing, broadcasting and managing. "But there's nothing like playing; nothing can compare to competing on the ield."
And competing on the field is where it all begins this Thursday.
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