HAMILTON Football TIGERS EARLY DAYS



TIGERS FOOTBALL 1935 SEASON:



1935 Pre-Season



With the arrival of a new coach Fred Veale and the excellent kicker Huch Welch from Montreal, the Bengals are posed to have a gret season. Teamed with Frank Turville, the Tigers offer the top kicking dou in the country. According to the Spectator "with the adsdition of the high kicking Welch, and with Welch, Turville and Bryant as a probable backfield trio, it is doubtful if any team in the union will be able to shade the Tigers in this respect". Additionally with the return of centre Jerry Brock from Cornell "they noe have ample protection in this position with "Red" Dunn to work with Brock. As a matter of fact, there isn't a pair of snaps in the country that will have an edge on this duo". At present the Bengals are hard at work in preparation for the new season. There will be no exhibiton games and the first regular season game is scheduled for September 21 against the Argonaughts at varsity stadium.

TIGERS first game vs Toronto at Varsity Stadium, Sept. 21:


The Spectator headline on Monday morning read "Rosso Brilliant as Argos humbled Bengals in Opener" game 1 vs argos Argos were superior in all aspects of the game as they handed the Tigers a 13 - 8 thrashing. Although they were outplayed, Tigers took the lead in the first quarter with a touchdown by Turville and convert by Welch. With the exception of a third quarter single and a fourth quarter rouge, that was the end of scoring for the Bengals. Although the Tigers have great potential the argos put on a superior display of running and short passing which kept the Bengals off balance for most of the game. As for the Tigers "Against the snappy, well-drilled and fast movements of the Oarsmen the Bengals looked very sluggish. There was no snap to their line plays, the kicking, with several exceptions, was disappointing, and their general defence was ragged on the ground and in the air." The fast movements of the Argos defence quickly shut doen the end runs attempted by the Tigers. The passing game was impotent and the Argos line play was superior. for the Oarsmen, superipor backfield play highlighted by the exceptional ability of the American back was the deciding factor in their victory. A placement, touchdown and convert all by Burns gave the Argos a 9 - 6 lead at thr half. Tigers managed a touch-in-goal in the third quarter with the Argos dominating the fourth quarter with a rouge and a placement and the Tigers only managing a touch-in-place. The result was a big win for the Argos over the vaunted reigning IRFU champion Tigers.

Game 2 vs Ottawa at HAAA grounds, Sept. 28:


The Spectator headline on Monday morning read "Jungle Kings Crack Down on Hughes' men in Erratic Contest"

Fumbles and penalties marred a superior performance by the Tigers. Ottawa managed 14 penalties and the Bengals twelve before the day was done. The 5,000 loyal fans were also treated to a game 2 vs Ottawa total of 19 fumbles in this erratic game. After a scoreless first quarter the Tigers took the lead in the second quarter with a placement by Turville, a touchdown by Brock and convert by Turville to give them a well deserved 9 - 0 lead at the half. A placement by Turville in the third quarter gave a 12 - 0 lead going into the fourth quarter where Ottawa rounded out the scoring with two single points.
The Rough Riders were thwarted time and again by a hard charging Hamilton line that was vastly improved over their performance the previous week. The Bengals also showe superior speed and an excellent passing game. Much of their scoring acame about by cashing in on the frequent Rider fumbles. In the fourth quarter the fans were also treated to some fistic demonstrations. Seymout Wilson and an Ottawa lineman swapping punches and getting the gate as a result. Also Jimmy Wilson and Jerry Brock went after Wadsworth in the dying seconds of the game. "Jimmy Dunn, too, was gated for swinging a heavy right in the heat of the hard line play and the pay-off came when referee Barwick penalized Tigers 25 yards for something said by Coach Hughes, from the Ottawa bench, apparently labouring under the impression coach Hughes was still the coach of the Tigers."

It should be remembered that last season the Tigers had 2 exhibition games to prepare for the season while this year the first game played wa a regular league match last Saturday in Toronto. This might help explain the erratic play so far by these teams.
As things stand now, the Argos are in first place having won both their games, while Hamilton and Ottawa are tied for second with one win apiece and Montreal, The Bengals opponent next week, in last place with no victories so far.

Game 3 vs Montreal at HAAA grounds, Oct.5:


The headline in Monday?s Spectator read "Score is 7 - 1 as Bengals Keep Pace with Argos in Big four Battle"

game 1 vs montreal
With several stars from U.S> colleges, the Wheelers provided a formidable opposition for the Tigers. Excellent kicking by Welch and Turville kept the Montrealers pinned in their own end for much of the contest. Their one foray into Hamilton territory in the second quarter reulted in a fumble into the Tigers end zone with Jimmy Simpson recovering forcing a Montreal rouge. This would be their only score of the day despite some good passing plays and fine line play. Montreal completed a total of 6 passes out of 19 attempts for a total of 100 yards. The tigers were 2 out of 9 for sixty yards. Montreal also outpaced The Bengals 10 to 6 in first downs.

Their downfall was five fumbles and losing them all but one while the Tigers lost only one fumble. One of Montreal's fumbles was very costly. Pedergast lost the ball when tackled near his goal line, with Patterson picking it up and running it in the end zone for the game's only try. This gave the Tigers a 6 - 1 lead at th half with the only other score being a single point by Turville in the final quarter.

Going the distance for the Tigers was Turville, Dunn, Patterson and Timmis. Another feature for the Tigers was their strong line play with Dunn, G. Mountain, Summerhayes, Stull, Mallard and Brock being a forceful unit. Timmis turned in the best line advvance of the day when in plunged through for a 30 yard gain to take the ball into Montreal territory. Several opportunities were missed by the Tigers. One came in the first quarter when Timmis broke through for a 35 yard gain, followed by a Patterson pass to Welch tosend the ball to the Montreal 20 yard line. Here the drive stalled with Turville attempting a field goal from placement. Unfortunately the wind carried the ball into the upright, with Montreal took possession when it hit a Tiger wing.

Tigers were not threatened seriously the rest of the way mainly due to the strong kicking game keeping Montreal in their own territory. The victory leaves Tigers in 2nd place with a 2 - 1 record, one game behind the undefeated Argos. Clearly next weeks match against the Oarsmen will be a most important one.

Game 4 vs Toronto at Varsity Stadium, Oct. 12:


The headline in Monday?s Spectator read "Tigers title Hopes Fade as Argos Whip Home 7 to 1 Vctory"

game 2 vs argos Twelve thousand Argo faithfulmenjoyed the fine weather and the trouncing of their title rivals to the tune of 7 - 1. Argos offence managed two field goals and a aingle to account for their offence. Although held in check most of the game by Argos stymying Hamilton plays in the backfield, the Bengals did manage three attemtpts at placements, missing on all three. Superior line play on both sides of the ball by the Oarsmen combined with frequent penalties by the Tigers contributed to the Argo victory. Indeed the outcome was probably flattering to the Tigers as it could have been worse.

"Jerry Brock, "Red Dunn" and Johnny Agnew were the defensive stars of the Bengals, the latter performing splendidly in the open field, while Dunn and Brock proved bulwarks in the heavy going on the line. Tigers relied to a large extent upon the backfield, with Turville, Welch, Ferraro and Patterson by far outstanding throughout."

The loss leaves the Tigers in the unnenviable positon of being two games behind the league leading Argos with only five games remaining in the season. "Now the Tigers can only win if the Scullers lose three of their remaining five games and Fred Veale's squad wins every start". This seems to be near impossible considering the outcomes of the games so far this season. While tigers have been successful at home, their perfformance on the road has left much to be desired and will need improvement if they wish to have any chance at The Big Four title. Next week's game against a bigger Ottawa squad will be a crucial test for the Jungle Kings.

Game 5 vs Ottawa at HAAA grounds, Oct.19:


"Jungle Kings Stage Great Comeback and Defeat Rough Riders

Turville Badly Injured as Bengals Pile Up 23 - 12 Score"

game 2 vs ottawa

One of the games greatest players badly injured his shoulder in this game and watched from the sidelines as the Tigers gave an inspired performance in thsi must win game. Additonally Tigers lost Timmis through penalty, Welch played in pain with his shoulder strapped, Henry Guerny out with a leg injury and Abe Eliowitz brilliant backfielder of the Rough Riders badly injured in the third quarter and unable to finish the game. Despite the misfortunes the tigers played ferociously and fully deserved the victory in a game where there was no place for weaklings.

The Bengals spotted the Rough Riders an early 8 - 0 lead, and trailed 12 - 6 at the end of the quarter. From that point on they contolled the game with 3 placements by Turvlle before he was injured to lead 15 - 12 at the half. The third quarter saw a touchdown by Jimmy Simpson, convert by Welch and two touch in goals by Welch to end the scoring as the Tigers held the Riders scoreless for the remainder of the game.

"Welch worked under heavy handicaps with his usual brilliancy, tearing off long gains, catching well and kicking strongly. Wilf Patterson, travelling at top speed for 60 minutes, handled his charges admirably, making the most of scoring opportunities and playing a stalwart defensive game, and Bernie Thornton scintillated throughout with a superb tackling display." "Johnny Ferraro, in all the action, was another big cog in the Bengal machine, and Eddie Wright with a new lease on life, was by far the outstanding man on the line. Wright's defensive work was a revelation, and he had a fighting partner on the other side in Jimmy Dunn, who not only moved from snap to middle wing with all the power and polish of a veteran, but crashed through to block two kicks, one of which resulted in a touchdown."

With this hard fought victory, the Tigers were able to remain in the hunt for the Big Four title despite the Argos victory over Montreal. However the Oarsmen remain two games in front and the Bengals must continue their winning ways next week in the rematch with Ottawa in the nation's capital.

Game 6 vs Ottawa in Ottawa, Oct. 26:


Mondays headlines read "Jungle Kings Defeat Ottawa Rough Riders In Gruelling Battle.
Patterson and Ferraro Outstanding as Tigers Count 10 - 3 Triumph.
Great Last Quarter Stand Saves Victory for Yellow and Black Team"

Outplaying the bigger and strronger Riders squad for the first three quarters, the Tigers held a 9 - 2 lead at three quarter time. game 6 vs Ottawa

Fortunately, with the brilliant play of Patterson and Ferraro along with fabulous line play enabling three goal line stands, the Bengals were able to hold the Riders to a single point in the fourth qurter and emerge with a 10 - 3 victory. With several stars out and Welch playing limited time due to injury, this victory was a testimony to the sheer grit and determination of the entire team.

Despite their sparkling effort against the Argos, they did not close the gap between them ans the Argos whow were victorious over Montreal as expected. The Oarsmen come to HAAA next Saturday with the largest crowd of the season expected. After that the Tigers will have to rely on Ottawa to beat the Argos two weeks in a row in order to win the title

So far this season the Tigers are the top defenseive team, allowing a mere 38 points against, while the Argos lead offensively with a total of 71 points to the Tigers 61..

Game 7 vs Toronto at HAAA, Nov. 2:


Jungle KIngs Defeat Double Blue Leaders In Brilliant Battle
Argos humbled by 21 - 8 as Tigers Retain BiG Four Title Chance
"Huck Welch" Paces Bengals in Thrilling Gridiron Spectacle

game 3 vs argos

The Tigers avenged two previous losses to the double blue by trouncing them in spectacular fashion 21 - 8 and as a result narrowed the Argos league leading margin to one game. Welch led the barrage by scoring twenty of the twenty one poits including two touchdown, two placements and two singles leaving only one point to Ferraro who also put on a brilliant performance again. < The Bengals out-hustled their rivals in every way, thwarting their plunges and stopping any extensions, often for losses. They also knocked dowm or intercepted many of the Argo passes attempted.

Revenge was very sweet as they humbled their old rivals by a wide margin. The game was a stiff battle. "Injuries were frequent, and Stukus of Argos and Dunn, of Tigers had to leave for long lapses because of painful crashes." Tigers showed an outstanding star in "Bus" Reed who played a bangup game in the Bengal backfield. Johnny Craig and Deadly , of Argos, provided a bit of excitement when they traded punches and were tossed from the game.Jerry Brock was responsible for breaking through the line and making many great tackles. Jimmy Simpson and Seymour Wilson looked like theit old selves with their speedy open field work with Simpson particularly on the spot when loose balls were kicked out. Hamilton had ten first downs to the Argos nine, but the Bengals made much larger gains on individual plays. standings7
They gained yards 108 yards plunging to the Argos 57 and on end runs the Bengals raced for 86 yards against 10 mand byu the Scullers. The Argos gained more yarda passing then the Tigers, while the Bengal backs ran back 17 kicks for a total of 141 yards compared to the Argos 85 yards on 22 kicks. The Bengals lost the penalty parade, taking 135 yards against the Argos 85.
This well earned victory is a real confidence builder for the Bengals and puts them right back in the race for the league title with only two games remaining. However they will need to defeat the Montrealers two weeks in succession with the Ottawa squad taking the Argos in both their remainning games.

Game 8 vs Montreal in Montreal, Nov. 9:

Monday's headline read "Jungle Kings Crush Montrealers to Tie With Toronto Squad"

This 19 - 6 convincing victory over the winless Montreal team combined with the Ottawa victory over Toronto left the Bengals in a tie with the Oarsmen for first place in the IRFU standings. game 2 vs montreal
The Jungle Kings made the best of their scoring chances and drove home two touchdowns with spectacular plays with Welch scoring both majors and converting both as well. This while holding the Red and Blue to a single major despite them having several scoring chances. The Bengals finished them off with a fourth quarter major by Timmis converted by Ferraro.

Welch also gave the Tigers a wide edge in the kicking game contibuting a rouge to his point total. Over the past two game his brilliant play has amassed a total of 33 of the Tigers 40 points scored. The Tigers will play Montreal again next week at HAAA needing a victory while hoping the Roughriders can beat the Scfullers for the second week in a row.

Game 9 vs Montreal at HAAA grounds, Nov. 16:

Monday's headline read:
"Jungle Kings Score Impressive Triumph To Hold Grid Crown
Bengals Swamp Montreal by 23 - 0 While Rough Riders Oust Argos
Welch and Ferraro Lead Tigers in Wind-up of Stirring Comeback"

On a cold, windy day and a slippery field, before 3,000 delighted but shivering fans, "the Bengals kalsomined the Quebec entrants in a cold-blooded victory". They took advntage of opportunities to score when available, but otherwise played a safe, calculated game refusing to take chances by taking only safe scoring opportunities. At the same time their defence held the visitors in check throughout the game keeping them to eight first downs while attaining fifteen first downs themselves game 9 vs montreal
A first quarter unconverted touchdown by Welch started the scoring. Another unconverted touchdown by Welch and single point by Welch gave Tigers a comfortable 11 - 0 lead at the half. A touchdown by Gurney in the fourth quarter led to the final score 0f 23 - 0. Welch again leading the team with 18 points and powerful kicking which kept Montreal in check. In the open field the Bengals were led by the superb tackling of Agnew, Simpson,Thornton and Wilson. Additionally the Bengals fast ends brought down the Montrealers with spectacular flying tackles to nullify most of their offensive efforts.
The offence was lead as usual by the masterful performance of Wilf Patterson, who was given a rest in the fourth quarter when Gurney relieved him and continued the fine play with the late touchdown. The Montrealers gave stiff opposition at first, but Tigers received an early break when the speedy Simpson broke through to partially block a kick with Tigers recovering at the quarter when ferraro picked up the loose ball and raced it to the line. A Patterson to Timmis to Welch extension gave them an unconverted try and the early lead. In the second quarter Welch's deep punt followed by a Montreal fumble gave the Bengals the ball at the Montreal 25 yard line. The Wright shreeded the Montreaal defence and put the ball in front of the posts. Following was a spectacular on-side kick by Patterson which Welch was able to secure in the end zone for nother unconverted touchdown. The third quarter was filled with pwnalties and the only scoring was single point by Welch. The Tigers dominated play in the final frame to finish off the Montrealers and gain the Grid crown.

Timmis and Dunn trying to block a kick against Montreal.

kick block


Game 10 vs Queens at HAAA grounds, Nov. 23:

"Jungle Kings Crush Queens With Great Display of Strength"

The Bengals qualified to play Sarnia next week for the Eastern Canadian championship by crushing a feisty Queen's squad, Intercollegiate Champions to the tune of 44 - 4.
game vs Queens
Seven thousand fans were delighted as they watched Welch lead his charges to this important victory. Touchdowns by Wilson and Welch led the Bengals to a lead of 16 - 2 at the half. The second half belonged to the Tigers who over-powered the Queensmen with touchdowns by Patterson and Welch in the third frame followed by more touchowns by Craig, Reed and Timmis in the fourth quarter to finish with the 44 - 4 victory. Hamilton will now face the reigning dominion champions Sarnia Imperials to determine the eastern representative for the Grey Cup, the Dominion Championship.










Eastern Championship vs Sarnia at HAAA grounds, Nov. 30:

"Jungle Kings Crush Dominion Champs In Great Exhibition"
easter final vs sarnia The Tigers handed the Imperials a 22 - 3 thrashing with a powerful display of gridiron grit in the second half. After trailing 3 - 2 at the half, the Bengals turned on the power in the second half with three touchdowns, two by Welch and one by Wilson, while Sarnia was unable to respond with any scores. This qualifies the Tigers for the Dominion championship agains the formidable footballers from Winnipeg which should be a classic showdown of two powerful teams. Again led by the brilliant kicking and scoring of Huck Welch and a dazzling display of offence and defence by the former Cornell star Johnny Ferraro, the Tigers overwhelmed their opponents to take the victory and win their ticket to the grey Cup.









1935 Grey Cup Dominion Championship vs Winnipeg at HAAA grounds, Dec. 7:

"Jungle Kings Lose to an Improved Winnipeg Team" With a slippery playing field and injuries ctippling Tiger stars Welch and Turville, the Tigers were no match for the Peggers on this day and succembed to a 18 - 12 decision to the team from Winnipeg. The 9,000 fans at the HAAA grounds were treated to a marvelous game with the Tigers fighting valiantly to the final whistle. Indeed they still had a chance to pull even late in the fourth quarter as they had advanced deep into Winnipeg territory. However they were unable to score and the well-deserved victory went to the boys from the West. The articles below from the Hamilton Spectator and the Calgary Herald say it all. Hamilton Tigers were completey dazzled by Winnipeg star running back Fritzie Hansen who lead the Pegs to a well deserved victory.

easter final vs sarnia easter final vs sarnia easter final vs sarnia

hamilton 35 team


Tigers stars Reed and Ferraro

easter final vs sarnia easter final vs sarnia






















Timmis and Dunn trying to block a kick against Montreal.

kick block

Tigers star kicker Huck Welch

turville

cup


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