The Greatest Tiger-Cats of My Lifetime: #1

Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for. The #1 Greatest Tiger-Cat of My Lifetime. But before I unveil the #1 player, let's recap the list:

#10: Paul Osbaldiston
#9: Mike Morreale
#8: Tony Champion
#7: Rob Hitchcock
#6: Grover Covington
#5: Rocky DiPietro
#4: Darren Flutie
#3: Joe Montford
#2: Earl Winfield

Those were the other Top 10 players, all of whom are very deserving members of this list. But there can only be one #1. And now, without further ado, the #1 Greatest Tiger-Cat of my lifetime is.....

#1: Danny McManus
Did you expect someone else? In all honesty, who else could it have been? Without a doubt, Danny McManus is the greatest player to play for the Tiger-Cats during my lifetime. McManus spent 8 seasons in Hamilton, amassing accomplishments that any player would be proud to boast about. Without a doubt 1999 was McManus's best season. That year he was a CFL All Star for the only time in his career, the CFL's Most Outstanding Player, and he led the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to their most recent Grey Cup Championship, a game in which he won the Most Valuable Player award after throwing for 347 yards and 2 TDs in a 32-21 victory over the Calgary Stampeders.

After McManus's time in Hamilton came to an end he held the franchise mark for career passing yards, pass attempts, completions and touchdowns. McManus retired from the CFL following the 2006 season, and his career accomplishments rank up there with the all-time greats. He ranks 3rd all-time in passing yards, pass attempts and pass completions, all behind Damon Allen and Anthony Calvillo.

The intangibles at what separate McManus from every other Tiger-Cat in my lifetime. As soon as McManus put on that Black & Gold #14 jersey, fans knew we were about to witness something special. In his first season in Tigertown he guided the Cats to a Grey Cup appearance. In his second year, the Cats won the title. For most of the rest of his tenure he kept the Tabbies competitive. During the later years the team began to fall apart, and a lot of the blame went to McManus. He always got the benefit of the doubt from me. He was the reason we won as many games as we did between 1998-2005, and he is, without a doubt in my mind, the single Greatest Tiger-Cat of My Lifetime.

I've had my say; now it's time for you to have yours. Feel free to sound off in the comment section about the list. Do you agree with it? Disagree? What would you change? Feel free to name your #1 player or your Top 3 or Top 5 or Top 10. I open up the floor now, to you, my faithful readers. Let the debate begin.

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