Mark played 77-79 in Toronto. Then in 1980 he went to the Bombers for one season before finally joining the Cats in 1981.
The LD game your referring to is the legendary 34-34 tie against the Warren Moon led Eskimos.
I loved hearing Perc Allen say “Clements, with his backs in the I formation”
Usually referring to Bragagnolo and Crawford.
I remember being at that game. It was crazy.
That was the infamous pass interference call game was it not?
POPE…
The “infamous pass interference call” game was against Gerald Bess in the 1983 Eastern Final against the Argos. Maybe you meant the game in 1979 against the Eskimos where Clements was called for intentional grounding after throwing a long pass to Craig Labbett from the end zone?
As for the 1981 Labour Day game against the Eskimos, which will go down as the greatest game I’ve ever witnessed in Hamilton, it can be said that Mark Bragagnolo did not have a “great” game. He rushed for 20 yards!!!
Thank you, and yes. the long bomb intentional grounding against the Esks. Well done!
I thought this thread was about Coombs, but I guess I was mistaken.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the signing of Coombs signals the end of the Bennett / RB experiment .
My bet is that the team moves Bennett back to his original position of lb/db as Rico Murray’s back-up at the SAM position on D .
It was interesting to note that on the opening day depth chart against Sask that while the team had 7 LBs dressed that the only one who didn’t have a back-up listed behind him was Murray . Bennett spent his rookie season last year backing up at that position behind the now departed Don Unamba , it would seem to be an obvious choice to move him back there once again with the arrival of Coombs who has played his entire career on the offensive side of the ball as a natural hybrid RB/SB .
You caught me. Mark did play in Winnipeg in the interim between Toronto and here. I forgot. The game I was referring to was earlier in the summer - a complete blowout by the Cats scoring 50-something points on the Argos and Bragagnolo was running wild. Because Mark was an Argo and before that a UofT star, I had a real hate-on for him before he got here.
I should have known I had it wrong. Because Tommy Clements was an ND star and then a Tiger-Cat, I was out of my mind about the prospects of having him in Hamilton, and even though I lived out-of-town, I was at that Labour Day game - beautiful sunny day, Clements rolling to his right and hitting Keith Baker again-and-again early on against that vaunted Eskimo defense. The tie was a real sister-kisser.
The rematch would have made a fantastic Grey Cup. 
Instead we blew it against Ottawa in the EF.
In the game you are referring to, which the 'Cats won 57-13, Bragagnolo only rushed for 49 yards. It was the next home game against Calgary in a 28-16 victory where Bragagnolo had his best game as a Ticat leading the team in rushing with 62 yards on 11 carries and was praised by Frank Kush as being the game’s offensive player of the game.
did you say your bet?? Don’t you know betting on football is illegal and you could be sued…just kidding
Great observation on SAM and Bennett, and I hope you are correct. I think Bennett is a National SAM in training.
Okay, okay, okay … In '81, I saw him in practice catch a dump-off pass and run 5 yards for a TD … unopposed, because the D had already hit the showers. I thought he had cool hair back then, but if you look at it now, it sort of looks like a clown wig.
You’re confused again. I was at that practice also and remember that it was actually Dave Graffi that caught the dump-off pass. ;D
Wonder if some other team put in a claim for Coombs from the TiCats’ PR.
If not, it’s certainly unusual to see a player, who has never played a down with his team, get moved from the PR, and its level of remuneration, to an Injured List which pays a full game cheque.
Maybe he tripped getting out of the cab at the stadium and stubbed his toe ? Kinda like CO2 did last year . 