Tiger-Cats name Montford to Wall of Honour

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats named former rush end Joe Montford for induction on the CFL club’s Wall of Honour on Thursday.

Montford’s name and No. 53 will be added at Tim Hortons Field during halftime of Hamilton’s game against the Edmonton Eskimos on Aug. 23.

“Joe Montford was not only one of the best players in TigerCats franchise history, but also CFL history,” owner Bob Young said. “Being enshrined onto the Wall of Honour is the single largest acknowledgment of excellence the franchise and alumni association can provide.

“It symbolizes elite performance over a sustained period wearing the Black and Gold as evidenced by the legendary names honoured in the past.”

Montford had 460 tackles, 115 sacks and 18 fumble recoveries in 141 career games over eight seasons with Hamilton (1996-2001, 2003-04). He helped the Ticats win the 1999 Grey Cup and was named the CFL’s top defensive player three times (1998, 2000, 2001).

The six-foot-one, 225-pound native of Beaufort, N.C., also had a club-record 26 sacks in 1999, just a half sack off James Parker’s league mark of 26.5 set in 1984.

“Knowing my name will be up at Tim Hortons Field every time I come to Hamilton is a great honour and one that’s right up there with being a Hall of Famer,” said Montford. “I’m proud of what we accomplished on the field, but the things I remember most about being a Ticat were the great teammates and coaches I had, and obviously the fans. I can’t wait to share this with them in August.”

Montford was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2011. He’ll become the first player enshrined on the Wall of Fame at Tim Hortons Field.