Two local sports icons are outstanding in their fields
THEY MAY BOTH BE RETIRED but this city’s two best-ever football players are heading back onto the field.
Their names are, anyway.
The city’s Facilities Naming Subcommittee voted Thursday to name a soon-to-be-built west Mountain field after Canadian football legend Russ Jackson, and another field in Ancaster after two-time Olympic soccer medallist Melissa Tancredi.
“That’s great,” Jackson, 81, says. “I really appreciate that.”
It’s richly deserved. In their different styles of football, both have achieved a level of success that few will ever match.
They have that in common. But the paths to this exclamation point of their careers
came on two rather different paths.
Tancredi is unquestionably the most accomplished female soccer player ever to come from Hamilton. You could make a solid case for her as the best female athlete from here, period. She was an integral part of Canada’s team at the past two Olympics — winning bronze at both — and played a huge role in the explosive growth in interest in the national women’s program.
What’s unique about this honour for the 35-year-old Cathedral High School grad is that she retired from the sport just nine months ago. Which is lightning fast to be recognized in this way.
Jackson’s wait has been longer. A lot longer. In a lovely bit of accidental timing, this honour arrives exactly on the 48th anniversary of his final game. On that day in Montreal, he and his Ottawa Rough Riders outdueled Ron Lancaster and his Saskatchewan Roughriders 29-11 in Montreal. The 12-year veteran was named MVP of that contest.
He then walked off the field as a champion to become a high school teacher, a broadcaster, a coach and a principal. That was 17,532 days ago.
It should never have taken this long. After all, Jackson wasn’t just a great athlete, he might be this city’s best ever.
The three-time Grey Cup champion, three-time most outstanding player in the league, four-time most-outstanding Canadian — not to mention the only Hamiltonian ever to win the Lou Marsh Trophy as this country’s best athlete — was voted the best homegrown player in CFL history by a panel of experts a few years back.
He’s already in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame, the McMaster Athletics Hall of Fame, the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian
Sports Hall of Fame. He’s on Canada’s Walk of Fame, a member of the Order of Canada and has an award named after him given to the Canadian university football player who best exhibits athletic ability, academic achievement and devoted citizenship.
Most importantly, he’s never done anything to embarrass this city, but instead has been an ardent advocate and ambassador for his hometown. Same with Tancredi, who’s been a perfect role model for young female athletes.
“These are hometown heroes,” says Coun. Lloyd Ferguson.
So, yes, this is long overdue. Still, credit to those who finally made it happen. This city is better for doing this kind of thing. Having a Harry Howell Arena and a Bill Friday Arena and now a Melissa Tancredi and Russ Jackson Field goes a long way to looking after the cream of a wonderful generation of this city’s sporting greats. And it shouldn’t just be athletes.
We were rightfully quick to recognize Cpl. Nathan Cirillo. The suggestion that legendary entertainers Martin Short and Eugene Levy should receive some kind of local nod is a good one. The idea of a statue of the lead singer of Teenage Head hit a snag largely because of its exorbitant price, but the intent behind it was correct.
That this is apparently getting easier is a good thing, and it should remain front of mind for those making these decisions.
For Jackson and Tancredi to officially get their fields, city council must simply rubber stamp the motion on Dec. 8. There’s no doubt it will.
As for the beautiful symmetry of this coming on the anniversary of Jackson’s last game, that must be very, very special to him. He laughs at the comment. “I didn’t really know that.”