Joe Zuger should be in Canadian FHoF

Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1

David Braley mention Joe Zuger should be in the CFHoF. I didn't have the opportunity to see him play but sounds like the Senator has a valid point.

Senator says Zuger should be in CFL hall of fame

Senator David Braley may be the owner of the Toronto Argonauts but it's a Hamilton Tiger-Cat that he believes most deserves to be added to the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame.
Braley, who was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in September for his work as a builder in the league, singled out Joe Zuger as the overlooked player who most deserves to be installed with the other all-time greats in the hall....

[url=http://www.mississauga.com/sports/article/1570487--senator-says-zuger-should-be-in-cfl-hall-of-fame]http://www.mississauga.com/sports/artic ... ll-of-fame[/url]
2

That's amazing. I had know idea that Zuger wasn't in the HOF beside guys like Faloney, Barrow and Henley. The name Zuger has been synonymous with the Cats for decades. Even his stint through the '80s as GM was fairly successful with all the Grey Cup appearances the Cats had back then. Somehow he got overlooked and this should be fixed.

3

Right, that’s a serious omission. He’s a nice guy too; my brother (not Madjack, the other one) delivered his newspapers once upon a time.

4

He's NOT? Travesty.

One of those QB's who would never get any style points but who certainly got the job done. And though it's a skill lost today, he was undoubtedly the greatest quick kick artist to ever play football. You young-'uns have never seen one of these.

5

Good point Mark. I've often thought of why the quick kick has gone out of fashion.

Too often, it seems to me, teams facing a second and really long (say, 20 yards or so due to penalties), simply hand off to the running back for 2 yards or so and then punt on 3rd down.

So essentially, on 2nd down, you're giving up.

Since you're giving up, why not quick kick on second down instead of running for a couple of yards and then punting on the next down? Should catch the other team napping, the first couple of times you try it.

6

Interesting; it used to be a pretty exciting play. Are players today so specialized that punters are never on the field except to punt, losing the advantage of surprise? Can teams not take the risk with a non-punter because of that penalty for kicking out of bounds? (How long has that been around, anyway?) After seeing Barker call a fake safety touch a few years ago, I’m surprised he never tried it unless there’s an actual disincentive.

7

One minor correction to the reporter's story. Braley was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, not the CFL Hall of Fame.

(I don't think there is one). :roll:

Otherwise I agree whole heartedly. #9 holds the league record (8?) for td passes in one game (against the Green Riders in '62(?) I believe.

:thup: :thup: :thup:
8

I think we have a punter on the team who would be pretty good at that too. We just have to use him as a receiver at times to set it up!

9

Dave Stala’s a punter, and he’s often on the field (or should be) on second down. And maybe send Bakari Grant round behind him as an onside player?

You beat me to it.

10

I was actually referring to an Australian player we have on the team! Never thought of Stala, but that would be an even better idea!

11

I thought your comment about using the player as a receiver was a dig at Cortez not using Stala enough. :lol:

12

You are 100% correct Mike. . .it was October 1962, his first start, and yes 8 TDs against Saskatchewan, 67-21 final score.

And MadJack was there!! I was all of 9 years old and it was my first time attending a game live. … what a way to start. . .

13
http://www.ticats.ca/article/sixties-profile-joe-zuger

Sixties Profile: Joe Zuger
2009-07-17 13:00:00

By Brian Snelgrove
[b]
He is the only quarterback in the long and storied history of the Canadian Football League to throw eight touchdown passes in a single game – and he did it in his first professional start.

The date was October 15, 1962 and Joe Zuger (1962-71) established the mark as a rookie signal caller for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Zuger lit up the Saskatchewan secondary in what was then Civic Stadium in a 67-21 blowout of the western ‘Riders. Garney Henley established a club record for most touchdown receptions in a game (later tied by Terry Evanshen and Tony Akins), as he was on the receiving end of four of those TD strikes. Zuger threw for 475 yards on that momentous occasion. It was, without question, the most outstanding debut in professional football history.

“I thought it was a fluke,? Zuger says of his historic night. “I thought no way; this is not going to occur on a weekly basis.? Zuger was right. The record of eight TD passes in a game is one of the oldest in the league and has stood for 47 years - a plateau unmatched in either the CFL or NFL.

Zuger also has the distinction of completing the longest pass in Ticat history when he connected with Dave Fleming for a 108 yard touchdown in 1971. He is fifth all-time on the Ticat career passing list with 12,676 yards and fifth in completions with 814. His 76 career touchdown passes also ranks fifth in the Hamilton record books.

The Arizona State graduate was a terrific quarterback but was arguably the best punter of his era. He is the only Ticat player to average better than 48 yards per punt in a season and Zuger did it three times (1968, 79 and 71). His career average of 45.5 yards per punt is third best in league history.

Asked whether he was a better quarterback or punter, Zuger says, “That’s for others to decide. I was trying to be as versatile as I could. The more I could do, the more I wanted to do it well.?

Zuger played in five Grey Cups and was named Most Outstanding Player of the 1967 game as the Ticats knocked off Saskatchewan 24-1 in Canada’s Centennial year.
“That was the best team I ever played on,? he says.

“It was great, the whole era. We had a great rapport with players, the city, management, owners,? says the former Ticat pivot. “We were very close in those days?. “You had to win. The fans were tough. They expected you to win. They wouldn’t settle for losing.?

Following his playing days (and a front page photo of his career-ending injury on the first edition of The Toronto Sun in 1971), Zuger became General Manager of the Tiger-Cats, a post he held from 1981-92.

Zuger, who has lived in Hamilton for the past 45 years, retired in 1993. ?I can do whatever I want, whenever I want,? he says.

“I am very thankful to Hamilton, the opportunity to play here. It’s wonderful that you can spend your whole career in the same place,? Zuger says. “I am honoured. I owe a lot to The City of Hamilton.?[/b]

I especially liked this!

“It was great, the whole era. We had a great rapport with players, the city, management, owners,? says the former Ticat pivot. “We were very close in those days?. “You had to win. The fans were tough. They expected you to win. They wouldn’t settle for losing.?

14

I'm also very surprised that he's not in the CFHoF - always just assumed he was.

Looking at the list of players, there are a few notable omissions, not just from the Ticats, but from all teams. The problem is that I don't see any players on the list who I think should not be there. (A lot I don't recognize, from before my time, so I can't argue them.) I guess it just comes down to only allowing a limited number in each year.

15

Thanks Grover for posting that article.

16

The quick kick and Zuger were made for each other.

First, he played during an era when gambling on the field was far more popular. The systematic and analytical approach that later characterized the NFL and which has taken hold in the CFL in the recent decade and a half was just not in play then.

Second, while the Cats were able to score, they were first known for their defense. A quick kick is far more likely to be done by a defensive minded team because they have a stronger belief in being able to hold the opposition than they do in being able to advance the ball themselves.

Third, Zuger came from an age when hang-time in punts wast discussed. In fact, his punt trajectories were like the flight of an arrow, sometimes only 20-30 feet above the players at their highest. This meant that he often got almost of much yardage on the roll of the ball as he did while it was in the air. Punters today have been trained to hang-èm-highand dont get consistent rolls. I don`t have the stats (do they exist) but I can guarantee that the yard differential on a Zuger quick kick was always a 50 yd. minimum and 60-70 yds. was not uncommon.

17

Speaking of punting styles, I think it's weird or maybe interesting is the better word, when you see a punter punting where they hold the ball with the nose down presumably to make it go end over end and when it falls it comes back like a wedge shot in golf so it doesn't go in the end zone as they feel they are too close to the end zone and they might kick it through. That's become a skill in itself. I guess that's more in the NFL though where the returner doesn't have to play it. :?

18

I think Henley got 5 of the 8 and Cosentino (who went in relief of #9) had a couple more TD passes. I wasn’t there but I sure remember hearing about it as a 6 year old. Glad I was able to bring back some warm memories for you. Hopefully there will be many more in IWS 2.0.

:rockin: :rockin:
19

aha just read Grover's post. So it was 4 for Henley and not 5. See what the years do to a tyke's memory?

:roll: :wink:

I still stand by my Cosentino comment however until proven wrong. :wink:

20

I attended this game in 1962 and can honestly say it was one of the most memorable games ever.

The CFL is far more entertaining than the NFL, not just because of a single game but because

the whole philosophy of Canadian ball is better. (IMO)

Oh, did I say “Joe Zuger belongs in the hall of fame?”