By EDWARD “BUTCH” SONGIN As Told To Frank Karshis

December 14, 1953 – The Norwood messenger

(Ed. Note — Ed Songin, dropped by the Baltimore Colts, skipped across the Canadian border and became a star for the Hamilton TiCats in the Big four League. His passing proficiency gave them the Grey Cup, an emblem of Canadian football supremacy, for the first time in 18 years after being East representatives four times in recent seasons.}

When Baltimore cut me off last September, it was the best thing that could have happened to me. I didn’t think so at the time, for I had a family back home, and I was out of a job.

Hearing about Canadian football, a friend of mine called up Coach Carl Voyles of the Hamilton team. He needed a good quarterback and I signed up over the telephone to play for them.

In my first game, I threw two touchdowns. I felt shaky but it was do-or-die for me.

Voyles asked me if I was in. shape. I explained about the six exhibitions, we had with the Cleveland Browns, the Giants, Bears, Cards, and the Philadelphia Eagles back in the States. It was excellent training.

The TiCats had played five games before I joined the squad. They had five quarterbacks abound, Bob Celeri, Bernie Custis, and Stan Heath were the outstanding ones as “imports” from home.

This was about the same situation back in Baltimore where they dumped me without any explanation. Well, as the games unfolded I got to liking the very fast game.

In the nine regular games and three post-season play-offs against the Montreal Alouettes and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the trophy, I threw a total of 326 passes, completing 165 of them for 2243 yards, fifteen went for TD’s and I made five myself near the end of the season. My passing averaged .506; only 26 were intercepted.

When we won the Grey trophy the city went wild with glee. My friends told me that if an election was held then, the folks would have given me the Mayor’s job.

I played with Lou Kusserow of Columbia and Bernie Custis of Syracuse, two great ballplayers. They liked the deal they got and will be back next year.

I’ll be back too. I’ve signed another contract. I hope we play 14 games instead of the twelve intended. you can guess why, for they pay well up there, The fans and everybody are great.

Studied When Not Playing

In playing quarterback I threw an average of about 34 passes a game. I threw everything I could, averaging about 29 yards to a pitch. When I didn’t play football I studied diagrams and movies with my coach during the weekdays. The other fellows more or less had to work on some other job, especially the Canadian fellows.

There was a Quarterback Club up there over radio station CHML. I was honored with others at different times to talk football. Those people love football and American players (eight to a team, according to the rules) have lifted the game tremendously.

Perce Allen, a newspaper writer, interviewed us on the radio. When they found I was called “Butch” back home and around Boston, they all started to call me by the same

nickname. Even the sportswriters on The Spectator, the Globe and Mail, and others all printed stories about us’

When we beat the Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton went crazy .over two weekends. We TiCats beat them twice. At one of the games, a group of my friends from Walpole came up to see me play. What really surprised me was when a whole busload of Norwood and Walpole friends and relatives came up. I was sorry not to be able to win for them.

(Note: Butch did some kicking in the games. In Canadian football, ten yards have to be gained in three downs for a first down. Usually, they run one down, pass for another, and if unsuccessful, they have to kick the last. A good kicker is popular. A passer rates still higher.)

I plan to coach Belmont Hill hockey this winter which makes it my second year. We go to Lake Placid around the holidays for a few scrimmage games, Meantime, I’m going to get acquainted with my family of whom I’ve seen little since last summer.