Class of 2012 Announced!

ABENDSCHAN, ALLEN, BRALEY, CONNELLAN, JONES, LAPOINTE, AND STEGALL

INDUCTION CLASS OF 2012

The Inductees are Jack Abendschan, Damon Allen, Eric Lapointe, Milton (Milt) Stegall, and Harvey (Tyrone) Jones (posthumously) in the player category. In the Builder category David Braley and Peter Connellan have been selected.

Other Media Stories

Peter Connellan - Calgary Herald

JACK ABENDSCHAN, PLAYER: 

Unheard of in the modern game, Jack Abendschan played offensive line and was the place kicker for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1965 – 1975. He won Western All-Stars seven times and CFL All-Stars five times as an offensive guard.  As a placekicker, Abendschan had a career total of 159 field goals, and 72 singles. He led the Western Division in scoring in 1969 and 1970 with 110 points each year.  He led the Roughriders in scoring in 1971 (94 points), 1973(110 points), and 1975(62 points). Jack Abendschan played in four Grey Cup games (1966, 1967, 1969, and 1972) and was a member of Saskatchewan’s first Grey Cup championship in 1966.  He is also a member of the Roughriders Plaza of Honour and the University Of New Mexico Hall Of Honor.

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DAMON ALLEN, PLAYER: 

Over an illustrious 23 year career Damon Allen was:  divisional All-Stars three times, CFL All-Star once, Most Valuable Player in the Grey Cup Game three times, and CFL Most Valuable Player once.   Allen joined the CFL when he signed with the Edmonton Eskimos as a free agent in 1985 and game of the bench in the 1987 Grey Cup Game to lead the Eskimos to victory and earned the honour of Most Valuable Offensive Player of the Game.  He signed with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1989 and became the second quarterback in CFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season (1991). After a brief stint with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1992, Allen returned to the Edmonton Eskimos in 1993 where he led them to another Grey Cup victory and was again voted Most Valuable Player of the Grey Cup game.  In 1996, Allen joined the BC Lions after one season with American expansion team the Memphis Mad Dogs and was voted to the Western All-Star team in 1999.  In 2000, Allen became the CFL’s all-time leading passer, surpassing Ron Lancaster’s 23 year old record of 50, 535 yards.  During the 2001 season, Allen moved into 1st place among active quarterbacks on the All-Passing list with 54,420 yards.  He also became the first CFL quarterback to rush for over 10,000 yards in his career.  In 2003, Allen was acquired from the BC Lions by the Toronto Argonauts.  During this season he became the third quarterback in professional football history to pass for 60,000 yards and broke the record for Most Career Touchdown Passes with 334.  In 2004, he was again named Most Valuable Player in the Grey Cup Game.  In 2005, Allen would be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player for the first time during his career, as well as being named a CFL All-Star, Eastern All-Star, and winner of the CFL Fan Choice Award.  At the time of his retirement in 2008, Damon Allen was Pro-Football’s All-Time Passing Leader with 72,381 yards, as well as holding the CFL record for All-Time Rushing Yards by a Quarterback with 11, 914 yards.  He also held the CFL record for Most Pass Attempts – 9,138, Most Pass Completions – 5,158, and Most Touchdown Passes – 394.  He was ranked third All-Time for CFL service having played in 370 regular season games over 23 seasons.  Damon Allen was number 14 on TSN’s Top 50 CFL Players list.  

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HARVEY (TYRONE) JONES, PLAYER:

Tyrone Jones is being inducted posthumously after passing away June 10, 2008 at the age of 46 after a three year battle with brain cancer.  He was a divisional All-Stars five times (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990), CFL All-Star three times ( 1985, 1986, 1987), CFL Most Valuable Defensive Player in 1985, and Most Valuable Defensive Player in the 1984 Grey Cup.  Jones signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1983 and in 1984, he and the Bombers where Grey Cup Champions.  He was chosen as the Most Valuable Defensive Player in the Grey Cup, as well as being named a Western and CFL All-Star for the first time in his career.  By the 1985 season, Tyrone Jones had established himself as one of the premier linebackers in the CFL and was voted Most Outstanding Defensive Player, as well as Western and CFL All-Star for the third year in a row.  The 1987 season would be Jones last the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking a year and a half hiatus from Canadian football.  That year he was winner of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Bert Oja Award for Most Valuable Lineman, as well as being voted the Most Popular Defensive Player by fans for a second straight season.  Jones would return to the Blue Bombers half away through the 1989 season.  Jones led the Blue Bombers defensive unit in 1990, once again a divisional all-star and securing his second Grey Cup Championship.   Jones would spend his final two seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the BC Lions.  At the time of his retirement, he was second for Most Sacks in a Grey Cup Game with 4, held the Blue Bomber record for Most Sacks in a career with 98 and Most Sacks in a single game with 4.5. 

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ÉRIC LAPOINTE, PLAYER: 

Many consider Eric LaPointe to the greatest CIAU running back of all time.  Eric was with the Mount Allison Mounties from 1995 to 1998.  In just 28 games, Lapointe racked up a total of 4,666 career yards, only 29 yards short of the CIAU record at the time. He also set an Atlantic University Sports single season record with 1,619 rushing yards.  He had a career total of 31 touchdowns. He won the Hec Crighton Trophy as the Most Outstanding Player in CIAU in both 1996 and 1998.  He was also CIAU Rookie of the Year in 1995 and Most Outstanding Player in the Atlantic Conference in both 1996 and 1998. As a three time All-Canadian, he played an integral role in winning the AUAA Championship in 1997.  In 2005, a Canadian University fan poll selected Lapointe as the best university football player of all time. Following his four years at Mount Allison, Éric Lapointe would go on to have a successful professional career with the Montreal Alouettes.  He is also a member of the Mount Allison Sports Hall of Fame.  

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MILTON (MILT) STEGALL, PLAYER: 

Milt Stegall revolutionized the slot back position in the CFL.  He was a divisional All-Star 8 times (1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007), CFL All-Stars 6 times (1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006), CFL Most Valuable Player (2002), and the Tom Pate Award winner in 2007.  Stegall joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the last six games of the 1995 season but by his third season he was an offensive force to be reckoned with.  He caught 61 passes for a total of 1,616 yards and 14 touchdowns and set a CFL record with an average 26.5 yards per catch.  He set the Winnipeg Blue Bomber’s franchise record for most consecutive games with a receiving touchdown with 8.  He was named to a division All-Star, as well as a CFL All- Star for the first time in his career and was Winnipeg’s nominee for Most Outstanding Player. In 2000, Stegall continued his exceptional career by leading the league with 15 receiving touchdowns and had seven 100-yard receiving games.   In 2002, Stegall had one of the greatest individual seasons in CFL history.  He led the league in receptions (106), receiving yards (1,896), yards from scrimmage (1,896), touchdowns (23), receiving touchdowns (23), 100-yard games (10), average yards per catch on a min. of 50 (17.9), and non-kicker scoring (140).  He set a new league records for Single Season and Receiving Touchdowns and Single Season Touchdowns (both at 23).  He set or tied 12 Winnipeg Football Club records during the 2002 season.  He was voted the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player, as well as a Western All-Star and CFL All-Star. In 2004 Stegall became the Blue Bomber’s All-Time Reception Leader with his 574th reception.  In 2005, he would become the CFL’s leader for Touchdown Receptions in a Career (129).  He was named a CFL All-Star for the fifth time and a divisional All-Star for the sixth time.  At the time of his retirement in 2009, Milt Stegall was the CFL’s all-time leading receiver with a career totals: 845 receptions, 15,153 receiving yards, 17.7 yards average, 144 receiving touchdowns, and a longest gain of 105 yards.  He held the following CFL records:  Most Touchdowns, Career (147), Most Touchdowns Single Season (23), Most Receiving Touchdowns, Career (144), Most Receiving Yards (15, 153). He is also a member of the Winnipeg Football Club Hall of Fame.  

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DAVID BRALEY, BUILDER:

David Braley has owned 3 CFL teams over a 20 year period.  The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, BC Lions and the Toronto Argonauts.  He has served as the chair of the CFL’s Board of Governors and stepped in as the CFL's interim commissioner from March 2002 to November 2002. A leader among his peers on the Board of Governors, Braley’s efforts in recent years have played a significant role in stabilized the CFL and helped spurred its unprecedented growth. Braley acquired the BC Lion’s in 1997.  Under his leadership, the Lions are recognized as one of British Columbia’s model citizens; a team active in charitable and community endeavor’s focused on health and wellness, public education and the development of amateur football.  In 2007, Braley was honoured with the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association Appreciation Award for outstanding philanthropic and community service.  In 2009, he received the Consumer’s Choice Award as Vancouver Business Man of the Year. Braley is also a member of the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame, McMaster University Sports Hall of Fame, and the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction.  In May 2010, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed David Braley to the Canadian Senate.  

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PETER CONNELLAN, BUILDER:  

Peter Connellan is one of the most successful coaches in history at the University of Calgary and in Canadian Interuniversity Sports. He had an overall regular season win-loss record of 70-32-2 and has never coached a team with a losing record.  Connellan was interim coach with the University of Calgary Dinos in 1977 and led the team to a conference title. He became the full-time head coach for the team in 1983 and coached them to a Vanier Cup Championship over Queen’s that year.  During his 13 years as coach, the Dinos won eight Canada West Championships and four Vanier Cups. Connellan announced his retirement after the team’s 1995 Vanier Cup victory.  This victory made Connellan the first coach in CIAU history to win four Vanier Cup Championships.   He won the Frank Tindall Trophy for CIAU Coach of the year in both 1977 and 1985.  Peter Connellan was the recipient of many coaching awards for his work at the University of Calgary, as well as for coaching at the high school level earlier in his career.  Some of these awards include the Norm Kimball Award, Alberta Sports Council Provincial Coaching Recognition Award, and the 3M Canadian Coaching Association – Male Coach of the Year.  He is also an honoured member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Calgary Hall of Fame.  

The new inductees will bring the total Hall of Fame members to 258 members already included in the Hall’s Zone of Champions, which features busts of each member of the Hall. 

The Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum operates as a non-profit registered charity. Located in Hamilton, Ontario since 1963, and in its current location next to Hamilton City Hall since 1972, the Hall is home to more than 30,000 Canadian football artefacts, ranging from equipment and trophies to photos and videos.

It’s open to the public year round; see our website for further information www.cfhof.ca