Joe Zuger was a veteran Canadian football player best known for his 10 seasons playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and his later years as the team’s general manager.
- Died: November 2024
- Details of death: Died at the age of 84.
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Joe Zuger’s legacy
Once the Pennsylvania-born Zuger found a home in Canadian football, he turned it into his life’s work.
Zugar played at Arizona State University in the late 1950s and early 1960s, racking up a 24-7 record as a quarterback and eventually being inducted into the Arizona State University Sports Hall of Fame. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions, but instead headed north to Canada in 1962 to play for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.
He was a quick and versatile success, going back and forth between serving as quarterback, defensive back, and punter. Zuger helped lead his team to five Grey Cup championship games – essentially the Canadian equivalent of the Super Bowl – with wins in 1963, ’64, and ’67. His 1967 performance, his first as the sole lead quarterback, was good enough to earn him Grey Cup MVP honors. He retired in 1971 after 10 seasons with the team.
Zugar returned to the Tiger-Cats after his playing days were over, this time off the field, and in 1981 was named the team’s general manager. He served in that position for over a decade, overseeing yet another Grey Cup championship, this one in 1986.
He was named to the Tiger-Cats Wall of Honour in 2007, and in 2015, he was inducted into the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame.
Tributes to Joe Zuger
Full obituary: Toronto Star
