Hamilton Tigers (football)

[2][1] The first game in franchise history took place on December 18, 1869, against the 13th Battalion (now Royal Hamilton Light Infantry) where the final score was not recorded.

In that game, which was won by Toronto by a Goal and a Try to Nil, it was the first time that Hamilton wore black and yellow, hence the nickname "Tigers.

While it intensified play between the Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa Rough Riders, and Kingston Granites, it also exposed Hamilton as the weaker of the four.

It was not until 1906, where the Tigers finally agreed to play the QRFU rules, that Hamilton defeated McGill University by a score of 29–3, to become Dominion Champions.

After the Great War, the Tigers struggled to return to the title game, while only qualifying for post-season play twice in the following seven years and losing to Queen's both times.

However, their fortunes would change as they played the Regina Roughriders in the first radio play-by-play broadcast Grey Cup game in a 30–3 victory for the Tabbies.

In 1941, the Hamilton Tigers suspended operations due to many of its players joining the army to fight in the Second World War.

The Tigers resumed operations in 1945 along with the rest of the IRFU, but both clubs found it difficult to directly compete in the Hamilton market.

After signing Frank Filchock, who had been suspended by the NFL due to gambling issues, the Tigers felt that the other teams in the IRFU should share in the payment of his high salary because they were benefiting from higher attendances when he was playing in their cities.