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Bobby Kuntz's career as a professional athlete began when a high school coach told him he was too small to play football. The sting of rejection made him all the more determined to prove that coach wrong. Bobby was living in Cleveland at the time, but soon after moved to Kitchener, Ontario and attended St. Jerome's High School, where a new coach, Clem Faust, gave him a try.
Bobby played both football and basketball for the high school varsity teams and then moved on to McMaster University in Hamilton, where he excelled at both sports. After university, Bobby continued to play football for the Ontario senior league team, the Kitchener Dutchmen, for another four years.
In 1955, the Toronto Argonauts signed Bobby Kuntz for the whole season to play in the big league. Bobby proved his versatility by playing both offense and defense-all in the same game. He remembers many games where he was on the field for the entire game, playing both ways. Bobby was named to the divisional all-star teams in three different positions and was honoured with many awards and nominations throughout his career. Bobby was voted "Best in the East" in 1957 and 1961, and made the Globe & Mail all-star team 9 years in a row.
In 1961, Bob had a difficult choice to make when his older brother David died at age 31 leaving the family and the business without a key leader. Despite his love of football, Bobby retired from the CFL to help out with the family business. By then, Bobby had his own young family to support, and football salaries in those days, even for top athletes, were not sufficient or reliable enough to raise a family.
On October 29, 1961, the Toronto Argonauts hosted a special celebration of Bobby's career achievements in a pre-game ceremony. "Bobby Kuntz Day" attracted 23,316 fans - many from Bob's hometown of Kitchener-Waterloo. Fans, coaches and his teammates honored Bob for his 6 years of stellar play with the Argos. He received many gifts and honors, and though he retired in style, he really missed the thrill of the game.
A few months away from football made Bob particularly vulnerable when Jim Trimble, the coach of the rival Hamilton Tiger Cats called to coax Bobby out of retirement. The opportunity to play closer to home and for a winning team was too great to let pass. Bobby worked things out with the business and requested a trade from Toronto to Hamilton. As a Tiger Cat, Bobby went to four straight Grey Cups helping the team win the championship in 1963 and 1965.
During his 11-year career, Bobby played a wide variety of positions including defensive back, running back and corner linebacker. He played in the famous 2-day Grey Cup, the "Fog Bowl" of 1962 where he scored a touchdown for the Ti-cats.
Throughout his career, Bobby enjoyed the support of his wife and family and his many friends and fans in Kitchener. He returned to the family business, and eventually became the Chairman of the Board.
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