Bernie Faloney
Encyclopedia
Bernie Faloney was a professional football
player in the Canadian Football League
(primarily with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
) and an outstanding American college football
player at the University of Maryland
. Born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania
, Faloney is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, the Western Pennsylvania Hall of Fame, and the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame
. Faloney's jersey #10 was retired by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1999. In 2006, Faloney was voted to the Honour Roll of the CFL's Top 50 Players
of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN
.
, where he played high school football before attending the University of Maryland, College Park
. There, he played college football
as a quarterback
, helping the Terrapins
make it to the Sugar Bowl
in 1952. In his senior season of 1953, Faloney quarterbacked Maryland to be NCAA Division I-A national football champions and into the 1954 Orange Bowl. At season's end, Faloney finished fourth in the balloting for the 1953 Heisman Trophy
.
draft by the San Francisco 49ers
. San Francisco offered Faloney $9000 to play defensive back
and back-up quarterback. However Pop Ivy
, coach of the University of Maryland's Orange Bowl opponent, Oklahoma
, was moving to the Edmonton Eskimos
of the Canadian Football League
and offered Faloney a $12,500 contract to accompany him. At the time the Canadian dollar was worth 10 per cent more than its American counterpart so the choice to head north was easy, Faloney later recalled.
A scrambling quarterback, Faloney helped the Eskimos win the 1954 Grey Cup
but then fulfilled his mandatory service in the United States armed forces
, serving with the U.S. Air Force from 1955 to 1956. A free agent after his military service, Faloney signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
in 1957 and became one of the major stars of the Canadian Football League, winning four Grey Cup championships with the Ti-Cats. Traded from Hamilton in 1965
, he played for the Montreal Alouettes
and the BC Lions
before retiring in 1967
.
Faloney was the Eastern Conference's
All-Star quarterback on five occasions, 1958
, 1959
, 1961
, 1964
and 1965
. In 1961
, he won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
. His career CFL stats include 1,493 pass completions of 2,876 attempts for 153 touchdowns and 24,264 yards. He still holds the Grey Cup record for most passes completed and most touchdowns. He is the first CFL quarterback to win a Grey Cup championship with both Eastern
and Western Conference
teams.
Bernie Faloney was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
in 1974, the Western Pennsylvania Hall of Fame in 1983, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1985, the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988, and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
in 1999. In November, 2006, Faloney was voted to the Honour Roll of the CFL's top 50 players
of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN
.
.
Faloney died on June 14, 1999, in Hamilton, Ontario.
in Hamilton, Ontario, in the Brian Timmons Stadium and Ivor Wynne Stadium
area is also known as Bernie Faloney Way.
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
player in the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
(primarily with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
) and an outstanding American college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
player at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. Born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania
Carnegie, Pennsylvania
Carnegie is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 7,972 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Carnegie is located at . It is approximately southwest of Pittsburgh...
, Faloney is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
Canadian Football Hall of Fame
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established in 1955 to "preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements and to promote a greater awareness of Canada's heritage of sport." It is located at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta...
, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, the Western Pennsylvania Hall of Fame, and the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame
University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame
The University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by the M Club Foundation to honor student-athletes, coaches, and administrators who made significant contributions to athletics at the University of Maryland...
. Faloney's jersey #10 was retired by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1999. In 2006, Faloney was voted to the Honour Roll of the CFL's Top 50 Players
TSN Top 50 CFL Players
The TSN Top 50 CFL Players was a list of the greatest fifty Canadian Football League players, as selected by a panel of sixty former CFL players, then-current and former coaches, executives, and media members in 2006. The panel was assembled by sports television network TSN in partnership with the...
of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
.
Early life & college career
B.J. "Bernie" Faloney was born in Carnegie, PennsylvaniaCarnegie, Pennsylvania
Carnegie is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 7,972 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Carnegie is located at . It is approximately southwest of Pittsburgh...
, where he played high school football before attending the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. There, he played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
as a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, helping the Terrapins
Maryland Terrapins
The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 27 men's and women's athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition...
make it to the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
in 1952. In his senior season of 1953, Faloney quarterbacked Maryland to be NCAA Division I-A national football champions and into the 1954 Orange Bowl. At season's end, Faloney finished fourth in the balloting for the 1953 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
.
Professional football career
Faloney was drafted in the first round of the 1954 National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
draft by the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. San Francisco offered Faloney $9000 to play defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
and back-up quarterback. However Pop Ivy
Pop Ivy
Frank "Pop" Ivy was a football player and coach who holds the unique distinction of being the only person ever to serve as a head coach in the National Football League, the American Football League and the Western Interprovincial Football Union.A native of Skiatook, Oklahoma, Ivy was part Native...
, coach of the University of Maryland's Orange Bowl opponent, Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, was moving to the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
and offered Faloney a $12,500 contract to accompany him. At the time the Canadian dollar was worth 10 per cent more than its American counterpart so the choice to head north was easy, Faloney later recalled.
A scrambling quarterback, Faloney helped the Eskimos win the 1954 Grey Cup
42nd Grey Cup
The 42nd Grey Cup football game was played on November 27, 1954, before a full house at Varsity Stadium in Toronto, Canada.The underdog Edmonton Eskimos won a contest over the Montreal Alouettes by the score of 26 to 25...
but then fulfilled his mandatory service in the United States armed forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
, serving with the U.S. Air Force from 1955 to 1956. A free agent after his military service, Faloney signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
in 1957 and became one of the major stars of the Canadian Football League, winning four Grey Cup championships with the Ti-Cats. Traded from Hamilton in 1965
1965 CFL season
The 1965 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 12th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 8th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1965:...
, he played for the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
and the BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
before retiring in 1967
1967 CFL season
The 1967 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 14th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 10th Canadian Football League season.-CFL news in 1967:...
.
Faloney was the Eastern Conference's
Canadian Football League East Division
The East Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the East Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues.- Pre-1907 :...
All-Star quarterback on five occasions, 1958
1958 CFL season
The 1958 CFL season was the fifth season in modern Canadian professional football, although officially it would become known as the inaugural season of the Canadian Football League .-CFL news in 1958:...
, 1959
1959 CFL season
The 1959 CFL season was the sixth season in modern Canadian professional football, although officially it was the second season of the Canadian Football League.-Final regular season standings:...
, 1961
1961 CFL season
The 1961 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 8th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 4th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1961:...
, 1964
1964 CFL season
The 1964 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 11th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 7th Canadian Football League season.-Final regular season standings:...
and 1965
1965 CFL season
The 1965 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 12th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 8th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1965:...
. In 1961
1961 CFL season
The 1961 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 8th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 4th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1961:...
, he won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
The Most Outstanding Player Award is annually awarded to the best player in the Canadian Football League. The Most Outstanding Player award can be compared to the National Football League's Most Valuable Player, otherwise known as the "MVP" award...
. His career CFL stats include 1,493 pass completions of 2,876 attempts for 153 touchdowns and 24,264 yards. He still holds the Grey Cup record for most passes completed and most touchdowns. He is the first CFL quarterback to win a Grey Cup championship with both Eastern
Canadian Football League East Division
The East Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the East Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues.- Pre-1907 :...
and Western Conference
Canadian Football League West Division
The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the West Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues.-Pre-1936:...
teams.
Bernie Faloney was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
Canadian Football Hall of Fame
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
in 1974, the Western Pennsylvania Hall of Fame in 1983, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1985, the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988, and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established in 1955 to "preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements and to promote a greater awareness of Canada's heritage of sport." It is located at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta...
in 1999. In November, 2006, Faloney was voted to the Honour Roll of the CFL's top 50 players
TSN Top 50 CFL Players
The TSN Top 50 CFL Players was a list of the greatest fifty Canadian Football League players, as selected by a panel of sixty former CFL players, then-current and former coaches, executives, and media members in 2006. The panel was assembled by sports television network TSN in partnership with the...
of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
.
Later life and death
In retirement, Faloney made his home in Hamilton, Ontario where he became a part owner of a construction company. An avid horseman, he remained active in community and business affairs until being stricken with colorectal cancerColorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....
.
Faloney died on June 14, 1999, in Hamilton, Ontario.
Tribute
Cannon StreetCannon Street (Hamilton, Ontario)
Cannon Street, is a Lower City collector road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It starts off at Queen Street North as a one-way street up to Sherman Avenue North where it then switches over to a two-way street the rest of the way Eastward and ends just past Kenilworth Avenue North on Barons Avenue...
in Hamilton, Ontario, in the Brian Timmons Stadium and Ivor Wynne Stadium
Ivor Wynne Stadium
Ivor Wynne Stadium is a Canadian football stadium located at the corner of Balsam and Beechwood Avenues, two blocks west of Gage Avenue North in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada...
area is also known as Bernie Faloney Way.
Video clips
CFL Hall of Fame memberExternal sources
- Graham Kelly, The Grey Cup (1999)