Announcement_Press Release1.indd

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cats Claws are happy to announce the induction of Henry Waszczuk as this year’s
Walk of Fame honouree. We are also proud to announce that the 2009 Charlotte
Simmons Humanitarian Award will be awarded to Marwan Hage.
The awards will be presented at the Annual Walk of Fame Dinner, Friday, May 22, at the Renaissance
Centre (Barton Street, Hamilton). For further information or ticket inquiries, please contact Carol Rose
905-664-6117 or e-mail [email protected]
Henry Waszczuk was born August 26,1950, in Peterborough, England, and came to Canada at the age
of two. He attended school in Oshawa, and after a successful high school football career participated in
the Telegram East-West All-Star Game and was named defensive player of the game. Henry earned a
football scholarship at Kent State University (Ohio) where the team won the Mid-America Conference
Championship. In his senior year, Henry was selected an All-Conference centre and earned an AllAmerican honourable mention.
Waszczuk’s professional football career began in 1975 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats when he was
drafted in the first round. During his 10-year career, he was an All-Star at centre seven times and made
two Grey Cup appearances (1980, 1984). As a Ticat, Henry was awarded the Tom Pate Memorial Award
for his contribution to the team, community and league. He also was chosen as the Rothman’s
Outstanding Lineman on three occasions and also nominated for the Schenley Awards three times.
More recently, Henry was selected to the all-time Hamilton Tiger-Cat “Dream Team.” Throughout his
CFL career, Henry taught high school with the Hamilton Board of Education where he served as a
Science Department Head.
Marwan Hage is entering his sixth season with the Tiger-Cats after they selected him in the second
round (14th overall) of the 2004 CFL Canadian College Draft. Hage had a banner season in 2007,
starting all 18 games at centre. He was the Ticats’ nominee as Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman
and named an East Division All-Star. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, his family escaped the war-torn Middle
East in 1990 for a fresh start in Montreal. Among his many community activities, the most popular and
widely recognized is “Hage’s Heroes” which Marwan began in 2006, a community initiative that he has
continued that brings underprivileged kids to Ivor Wynne Stadium on game days to meet Ticat players
and attend the game.
February 23, 2009