Montreal, Feb. 2, 2010 – The Montreal Alouettes are pleased to announce that Alouettes alumni Tracy Ham and Elfrid Payton, two backbones of the team’s rebirth in 1996, will be inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2010. They will be joined by Don Narcisse, Robert Cameron and Joe Pistilli, who has been involved with all levels of junior football in Quebec for 42 years.
“It’s really hard to describe how excited I am to be added to this great group of inductees,” said Ham, who played quarterback in Montreal from 1996 through 1999. “It was a great feeling to be able to conclude my career in a great city like Montreal and to now represent the Alouettes along with such greats as Peter Dalla Riva, Sam Etcheverry and Gene Gaines.”
“I am really proud to see my work recognized,” said Payton, who prowled the defensive end position for Montreal from 1996 through 1999. “I put in a lot of work over the years to be a consistent player and I am honoured today to be selected into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.”
Both players joined the Alouettes in 1996 following the franchise’s relocation from Baltimore after winning the Grey Cup with the Stallions the previous year, and went on to have some of their best seasons in Montreal.
Tracy Ham
In 1999, Ham became the second quarterback in CFL history, after Damon Allen, to reach 8,000 career rushing yards and the fifth player to surpass 40,000 passing yards. He retired fifth in league history with 40,534 passing yards and still holds the CFL record for most rushing yards in a season by a quarterback with 1,096.
In four seasons as the Alouettes’ starting pivot, Ham played 71 games, completing 896 passes on 1,396 attempts for 11,442 yards, 83 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. He also recorded 1,777 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 255 carries. He began his career with the Eskimos, winning the Grey Cup as a rookie in 1987 and was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player in 1989.
Elfrid Payton
Payton finished his 14-year CFL career in second place in league history with 143 career sacks and sixth for most sacks in a season with 22, which he accomplished in 1993 during his first tour of duty with Winnipeg. He also tied a league record on July 22, 1999, with five sacks in the game.
Named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2002, Payton was a five-time CFL All-Star and a seven-time division All-Star. He won two Grey Cups (Winnipeg 1990, Baltimore 1995) and was chosen to the Alouettes’ Team of the Decade in 2005.
He played 62 games with Montreal between 1996 and 1999, setting a team record with 52 sacks and recording 145 defensive tackles, one special teams tackle, 26 tackles for losses of 64 yards, and 19 knockdowns. He officially retired as an Alouette in 2008 after signing a one-day contract with the team.
Joe Pistilli
The Alouettes would also like to congratulate Joe Pistilli for his induction as a builder into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Pistilli is a former commissioner of the Quebec Junior Football League and a former president with Football Quebec and Football Canada.
