HOF Inductees Class of 2007

[Rammer]

BATTLE, FLUTIE, KNIGHT, ROMANO AND VERCHEVAL

INDUCTION CLASS OF 2007

Hamilton, ON (February 19, 2007) - Four players and one builder are named today to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame Class of 2007. They will be officially inducted to the Hall of Fame on Friday, September 14th, 2007 at the Induction Dinner in Hamilton, Ontario.

Today's media conference is broadcasted live on CHML radio and audio-streamed live on CFL.ca. CHML Sports Director Rick Zamperin will host the program on air while CHML anchor Ted Michaels will emcee the media conference beginning at 1:00pm ET. Click here or log on to CFL.ca to listen to the media conference.

The five inductees are:

GREG BATTLE: PLAYER - Greg Battle played for five CFL teams, earning most of his laurels as a linebacker with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who relied heavily on his pass-coverage skills and an amazing ability to react to the football. An Arizona State product, he began and ended his 12-year career with Winnipeg , spending 1987-1993 with the Blue Bombers and returning again from 1997-1998. Battle played 179 regular-season games, 10 playoff games and three Grey Cups. Regular-season statistics include 766 defensive tackles, 31 interceptions, 26 sacks and 26 fumble recoveries. Battle was chosen Western All-Star in 1989, 1990 and 1991, earning CFL All-Star honours in 1990 and 1991. He was named Winnipeg ?s outstanding defensive player in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992 and was chosen the Western Division outstanding defensive player three times (1989, 1990 and 1991) and the CFL?s top defensive player in 1990 and 1991.

DARREN FLUTIE: PLAYER - Darren Flutie joined the B.C. Lions midway through the 1991 season making an instant impression in his first eight CFL games by catching 52 passes for 860 yards and six touchdowns. In four more seasons with B.C., Flutie exceeded 1,000 receiving yards three times, a landmark he surpassed nine times in his 12-year CFL career. Flutie signed a free-agent pact with the Edmonton Eskimos in 1995. After two seasons in Edmonton , during which Flutie gained more than 1,300 yards per season, Flutie spent five seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before retiring after the 2002 season and becoming an analyst for CBC television. Darren Flutie played 193 regular-season games, catching 972 passes for 14,359 yards and 66 touchdowns. He won Grey Cups with B.C. in 1994 and Hamilton in 1999. Flutie was chosen Western All-Star in 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1997, Eastern All-Star in 1998 and 1999, CFL All-Star in 1996, 1997 and 1999.

DAVE KNIGHT: BUILDER - Dave Knight amassed an All-Time record of 163-79-4 while serving as head coach at Wilfrid Laurier University (formerly Waterloo Lutheran) from 1966-1983 and the University of Waterloo from 1988-1997. Knight?s 153 regular-season victories were the most in Canadian university history until 2003, when Larry Haylor surpassed his record. Dave Knight was chosen as Coach-Of-The-Year in Canadian College Football (CIAU and later, CIS) an unprecedented three times, in 1972, 1979 and 1989. Dave Knight won five (of six) Ontario championships with WLU in 1966, 1968, 1972, 1973 and 1978 and advanced to the Vanier Cup in 1966, 1968 and 1972.

ROCCO ROMANO: PLAYER - Rocco Romano spent 10 of his 14 seasons and 175 of his 232 regular-season games with the Calgary Stampeders. In 1988 Romano was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders and then joined the Toronto Argonauts for five games. He signed as a free agent with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1989 and played 17 games. He was then traded to the B.C. Lions in 1990, who kept him for two seasons before dealing him back to Calgary for his final nine seasons in the CFL, until 2000. Romano played 14 post-season games and appeared in the 1992, 1995, 1998 and 1999 Grey Cup games and was on the winning side two times (1992 and 1998). Rocco Romano was chosen as Calgary?s outstanding offensive lineman in 1994, 1996 and 1999, earning laurels as West nominee in 1994 and 1996. Romano was a CFL All-Star guard in 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1996. He switched to tackle at the end of his career and was named to West and CFL All-Star teams in 1999.

PIERRE VERCHEVAL: PLAYER - Pierre Vercheval won back-to-back Grey Cups with the Toronto Argonauts in 1996 and 1997. He also played in the 1990 Grey Cup with the Edmonton Eskimos and the 2000 Grey Cup with the Montreal Alouettes, during a 14-year CFL career between 1988-2001. Vercheval appeared in 212 regular-season games and 13 playoff games. Pierre was a seven-time divisional All-Star, always as a guard, Western All-Star in 1992, Eastern All-Star in 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 and Northern All-Star in 1995. He won CFL All-Star honours in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 and was nominated as the team?s Outstanding Offensive Lineman with Edmonton in 1992 and Montreal in 2000. He was also named Montreal ?s Outstanding Canadian Player in 1999 and the CFL?s Outstanding Offensive Lineman in 2000.

These five gentlemen will be officially inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame during Induction Weekend 2007 to be held in Hamilton from Sept 12th ? Sept 15th, 2007.

[David]

Does anyone else think we need to be a little more selective about sending players to the Hall? Darren Flutie I understand. Second all-time leader in catches, most 1,000 receiving yard seasons, I get it. But Rocco Romano? Not to take anything away from his accomplishments - I recall watching him for a number of years protect all those great quarterbacks in Calgary. He was very solid and reliable....BUT, I hardly thought he was a shoe-in for the Hall Of Fame one day.

I'm not trying to single out Rocco here but I just feel that, like MLB, we ought to be a little more judicious in who we're inducting and make it very selective, elite company. There should only be 4 players and a builder inducted each year if it's warranted.

DH 8)

[Rammer]

That and Rocco can only bring back memories of Danny Barrett being the Lions follow up QB to Doug Flutie....sigh.

On the otherhand, Darren Flutie will always be associated iwth the Lions 94 Grey Cup run and that magnificent catch for a TD in Calgary from McManus.

[Robbie]

On the otherhand, Darren Flutie will always be associated iwth the Lions 94 Grey Cup run and that magnificent catch for a TD in Calgary from McManus.

McManus and Darren Flutie not only messed up Calgary once, but at least twice. There was also the one-handed catch that Darren Flutie made on a McManus pass in BC Place in the 1999 Grey Cup.

[TheLionKing]

I will associate Flutie with THE catch in that snowy field against Calgary in the Western Conference Final.

[giwiens]

I will associate Flutie with THE catch in that snowy field against Calgary in the Western Conference Final.

I agree. Watching that play happen was one of the few times I have been too amazed to cheer for the Lions. It was just beautiful.

Garth

[Robbie]

Some people are very upset that Michael (Pinball) Clemons has been snubbed for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame for the second year in a row. And they blame it on colour - not his skin colour but rather, his uniform colour. According to this article, voters are biased against candidates who played for the double blue Argonauts.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/ ... 0-sun.html

[TheLionKing]

The article makes some very valid points. Pinball should be an automatic. Absolutely no question about it.

[giwiens]

I totally didn't realize that Pinball had now been snubbed twice by the HOF. That is unthinkable. Even though he never played for the Lions, I always admired him when he played. I love rewatching games that he played in. Michael Clemons should definitly be in the HOF, no doubt about it.
The fact that he and his wife became Canadian citizens says something about how much he appreciated playing in the CFL.

[Toppy Vann]

The article makes some very valid points. Pinball should be an automatic. Absolutely no question about it.

I am glad for Darren Flutie's selection as he is one of the CFL all-time greats in my book.

No issues with the others.

Not sure of Pinball's stats but I too am shocked he is not in the HOF already!!!

[Robbie]

In the recent Super Bowl, a lot of media attention was made on the fact that Tony Dungy became the first Black coach to guide his team to the Super Bowl. It's a proud fact that the CFL accomplished this earlier with Clemons.