R.I.P. Pete Neumann (Tiger Cat 1951-1964)

Hamilton Tiger-Cats
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Another one of the great Canadian 1950-60s Tiger Cats passed away on New Years Day.

The Obit reads:
With very heavy hearts we announce the passing of our father, Peter Neumann on January 1, 2020 at the St. Catharines hospital in his 89th year. Pete started his football path playing for his hometown St. Catharines Collegiate. At 19 years old he was recruited by both Hamilton Tiger Cats and the Toronto Argonauts. Pete not only made the team that first year in 1951 but ended up playing beside Ralph Sazio who would one day be his coach. Peter, #74, had an illustrious fourteen-year career with the Hamilton Tiger Cats. During those years he was named the CFL Eastern All Star nine times, and the CFL All Canadian All Star in 1964. He played in eight Grey Cup games winning three in 1953,1957 and 1963 and inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1979. In 2011 he was inducted into the Tiger Cats Wall of Honour whereby his name has been hung high in Ivor Wynne Stadium (Tim Horton's Field) and a plaque hung on the Tiger Cat's Walk of Fame.

Here's an interesting interview with him from 2016...
http://htcaa.ca/tigertales/InconversationWith/Dec_2016.pdf

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  1. Obviously not too many people on here know of the great Pete Neumann, but he was without a
    doubt one of the greatest TiCat players of all time, bar none.

I only got to see the last 3 or 4 years of his illustrious career, but I will never forget him.

I got to meet him during the last 15 years at many of the TiCat Alumni dinners, and he was very
unforgettable to say the least.
He loved talking about his playing days and of all the great stories that went with them.

Pete, along with another former TiCat great, Gene Ceppetelli, were without a doubt two of the all
time greatest comedians in TiCat history. And both were Canadians to boot…LOL.

Pete’s accomplishments speak for themselves !!

RIP Pete, one of the best all time TiCats !!

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Closet: Thanks for the info on Pete Neumann. He brings back lots of Tiger-Cat memories for me going back to my high school days in Hamilton.

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Many thanks to Tipper for his reflections on Pete Neumann . :slight_smile:

Pat Lynch (RIP #74)

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I just saw in the Spec obituaries that another 1950’s Ti-Cat player passed away. :frowning:

William “Bill” Graham who played from 1953-1960 and won two Grey Cups.

Way before my time but maybe some forum members remember him.

R.I.P. Mr. Graham.

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Billy Graham was a Canadian HB who played 6 years for the Cats . He was a Wally Zatylny - sized

player. Memories fade but I seem to recall a Wednesday afternoon playoff game at Civic Stadium.

It was televised in black and white, of course . I managed to stay home from school with an imaginary

cold/flu/leprosy or whatever worked . One play seems to standout in that game, for me .

Cam Fraser was our punter. He faked a kick and threw a completed pass to Billy Graham who was on

special teams mostly . I believe that was a key play in the victory .

Graham played for the Cats in 1953 , 54 , and 1957 to 60 . Real Cat historians would know when the

game was played but my best guess would be 1953 or 54 . Billy also played for the Kitchener Waterloo

Dutchmen .

Pat Lynch (Sadly, we’re losing many great Cats from the past . May their memory be a blessing .)

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Pat:
The Tiger-Cats won 3 playoff games on Wednesdays. Only one of them occurred during the years you quote as Graham’s years with the team – Nov. 18/53 – the first game of a two-game total point East Final – Hamilton defeated Montreal 37-12 Civic Stadium.

The records show the Cats winning the second game, as well, the following Sunday, in Montreal, by a score of 22-11. I think the date, on that, is likely wrong (one day later), as I don’t believe games were ever played on Sundays back then.

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Wow ! Ottawacat, you are very good . Thanks for filling in all the blanks in my recollections . :slight_smile:

Pat Lynch (the old person)