Former Alouette Tony Proudfoot passes away

Montreal Alouettes' Tony Proudfoot drinks champagne from the Dixon Cup after winning the eastern conference championships in Montreal on Nov. 17, 1979. The Canadian Press/Arne Glassbourg

MONTREAL - Former Montreal Alouette Tony Proudfoot passed away Thursday after a three and a half year battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital announced Friday morning.

He was 61.

Proudfoot was an all-star defensive back in the CFL, playing nine seasons with the Alouettes from 1971 to 1979 and three more with the B.C. Lions from 1980 to 1982.

Proudfoot also taught physical education at Dawson College for 30 years and covered the Alouettes as a colour commentator for their radio broadcasts.

"The Alouettes have suffered a great loss," Alouettes owner Robert Wetenhall said in a statement Friday. "Like a true Alouette, Tony fought hard until the end. He unfortunately lost his tough battle, but even during these tough times, he has stuck by the team, inspiring them to push themselves harder. It was a true honour to have Tony around the team these past years. He has helped raise awareness of ALS and I truly hope that his foundation will live on and eventually help find a cure for this vicious disease. I would like to offer my deepest sympathy to his wife Vicki as well as the rest of his family."

Following the announcement of his diagnosis in June 2007, Proudfoot and his family established the Tony Proudfoot Fund to raise funds to support patient and family services at the ALS Society of Quebec and the Research Fund for ALS at The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital.

He became a public face for what is more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

"Mr. Proudfoot courageously and eloquently brought ALS into the public eye, and the impact of his efforts have left a legacy that seeks to find answers into the causes of ALS and eliminate the suffering that it causes," the Montreal Neurological Institute's release stated.

Ice Bowl made Proudfoot legendary

Proudfoot's football career was marked by his role in the Alouettes Grey Cup victory over the Edmonton Eskimos in 1977, a game historically known as the Ice Bowl.

The game was played at Olympic Stadium and the field was covered with ice. The players were having trouble getting any sort of traction on the field when Proudfoot had a moment of great inspiration in the pre-game warm-up.

"There was an electrician walking around with a staple gun, and it just dawned on me," Proudfoot said in an interview in 2008. "I had one of those eureka moments. So I asked him if I could have the staple gun. I put staples at the bottom of my show and I punched them in from the bottom. I did a little ‘x' in about 10 or 15 places."

Proudfoot told some of his teammates about what he'd done, and they instantly knew this would give them a competitive edge.

"We all looked at each other with our eyes nice and wide, ‘This is good. This is better than anything else we tried,'" he said.

The Alouettes won the game in a blowout 41-6.

Former teammate Peter Dalla Riva, who caught a touchdown in the game, was happy with his footwear and didn't opt for the staples.

But those who used them believed it gave them an advantage, said Dalla Riva, a CFL Hall of Famer.

"Psychologically, if you feel good about it, hey go for it," he said. "(Although), I don't know if it was 35 points difference."

Dalla Riva remembers the arrival of a fresh-faced Proudfoot at his first training camp in 1971.

He said Proudfoot, at first just a Canadian kid trying to win a roster spot, set himself apart with his intelligence and passion for the game.

"He was always trying to be an innovator," Dalla Riva said. "He was always trying to get better, trying to (make) everybody else better."

Post-playing days had biggest impact

That moment may have made Proudfoot a legendary figure in Canadian football lore, but it hardly defined his career as he was a tremendous defensive back.

However, his work after his playing days were over had an even bigger impact.

He touched generations of Montreal youths through his teaching at Dawson College, which announced Dec. 15 that the school's gymnasia would be named in Proudfoot's honour.

During the 2006 shooting spree at Dawson, Proudfoot heroically tended to an injured student, administering CPR until ambulances arrived while the shooter was still firing in the school's upper atrium. The student eventually survived in spite of taking a gunshot in the head.

Proudfoot, whose office was just above the entrance where the shooter entered the school, said he heard the first shot.

"I looked down and saw one of the victims lying in a pool of blood," he recalled last summer.

"I thought I could help, so I ran outside and applied first aid for about 20 minutes. I didn't feel I was in danger, but by that time there were a lot of policemen around."

Foundation raised over $500,000 for ALS research

Proudfoot became the Alouettes colour man on the radio in 1998, two years after the franchise was re-born.

In 2007, Proudfoot was diagnosed with ALS, an incurable condition. He made it his mission to make the public aware of the need to fund ALS research, and the Tony Proudfoot Foundation has raised in excess of $500,000.

Proudfoot continued broadcasting games for the Alouettes until his slurred speech no longer made it possible, but he remained a valued presence with the team, serving as a consultant for head coach Marc Trestman and riding alongside the players and coaches in last fall's Grey Cup parade.

"Tony was obviously a very smart man who loved the Alouettes and most definitely the CFL," Trestman said in a statement. "Over our three years together, I can honestly say we became better coaches, players, and a team, because of him. Through Tony, we were able to grow as people and better prioritize what is truly important in life like family and friends."

His final public appearance was in November at Olympic Stadium, where he accepted the Hugh Campbell Award for Distinguished Leadership from CFL commissioner Mark Cohon, receiving a warm ovation from a crowd in excess of 58,000.

A fitting final tribute for a man who touched so many.

Proudfoot is survived by his wife Vicki and his three children Michael, Lindsay and Lauren.

The visitation for Proudfoot will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 4, from 2-4 pm and 7-9pm, at Rideau Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home, at 4239 boul. des Sources, Dollard-des-Ormeaux.

His funeral will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 5 at 11am at Cedar Park United Church, at 204 Lakeview Avenue in Pointe Claire.

With files from Canadian Press