On this day in Hamilton - 1869 - Hamilton Ontario - Founding of the Hamilton Foot Ball Club; later the Hamilton Tigers; today's Tiger Cats.

On Wednesday, Nov. 3, 1869, in a room above George Lee’s Fruit Store, the Hamilton Football Club was formed. Hamilton Football Clubs have won the Grey Cup in every decade of the 20th century, a feat matched in professional sports by only one other franchise, the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League. In 1908, the Tigers won the dominion championship, a year before the Grey Cup was presented.

Prior to World War II, Hamilton’s football team was known as the Tigers. The colours of yellow and black were well represented and the present philosophy of tough football was established in those early days. The only time that Hamilton football was interrupted as a spectator sport was during World War I and World War II.

After World War II the Tiger Football Team started competition again. At the same time, a new group in the city was formed and they became known as the Hamilton Wildcats. As it can well be imagined, competition was high on and off the field. The Hamilton Tigers were able to induce players like Frank Filchuk and Merle Hapes in the late 1940s to come up and play for no more than athletic awards.