Football’s Rob Hitchcock: The underdog hero
Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebacker was told he was too small to play football but he refused to accept that. He tirelessly worked his way, not only to a pro career, but to a Grey Cup title and his hometown team’s Wall of Honour.
In 1999, Rob Hitchcock, the Ticats all-star linebacker, hoisted the Grey Cup over his head. This was the last time the black and gold brought the coveted CFL hardware home to Hamilton and a career highlight for Hamilton’s hometown gridiron hero.
Hitchcock had a legendary career with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1995 to 2006 as a linebacker and safety, playing 200 games over 12 seasons and earning a reputation for his hard-hitting style of play.
"During his playing days, Rob Hitchcock was the heart of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats – a team leader who was talented, reliable and a community champion off the field,” said Rick Zamperin, new co-host of CH Morning Live, who also spent six years as a sideline reporter for the now-defunct CHML and later the play-by-play announcer for the Tiger-Cats from 2007 to 2014.
“Hitch was a glue guy, and championship teams need them. When things go wrong, he was the player to rally the troops. Hitch had all these qualities and it showed on the field throughout his playing years.”
If memories have waned since that big 1999 cup win, all any fan has to do is look up while at Hamilton Stadium (formerly known as Tim Hortons Field.) In 2019, 20 years after the Ticats brought home their last Grey Cup, Hitchcock’s name and number were forever etched on the Wall of Honour.
2019 was the same year Simoni Lawrence broke Hitchcock’s franchise record of 484 defensive tackles. Two years later, the now-retired Lawrence also broke Hitchcock’s total tackle franchise record of 606.
Hitchcock retired in 2008, and now works as a business consultant and lives in St. Catharines with his wife and two children.
It has been 30 years since his football career began, but Hitchcock still gets emotional when he thinks about it.
“The love you get from the Hamilton fans. Words cannot describe the support I got,” says Hitchcock, who wore No. 42 for the Tiger-Cats. “They are the best fans in the CFL.”
Hitchcock talked with HAMILTON CITY Magazine about his career, the Wall of Honour and the passing of the 25th anniversary since the Ticats last won the Grey Cup. His football memories, the highs and lows and the bonds he had with teammates are as fresh as yesterday in Hitchcock’s memory.
The journey to the CFL was a bumpy one for Hitchcock, or “Hitch” as friends, family and teammates call him.
His prospects to be a pro were riddled with doubters during his early days on the field. But his ability to convert negative feedback into positive energy, paired with his goal-driven tenacity, drove him to achieve what many thought would be unattainable.
Hitchcock was born in the east end. He started playing football at the age of 10 and his lack of size put him at an instant disadvantage.
High school at Glendale Secondary didn’t start well, either.
“I was told in Grade 9 that I was too small, and I shouldn’t play,” he remembers. “And that was directly from the coach. It wasn’t fun hearing that.” Hitchcock was motivated to prove everyone wrong.
His early role models were his late father Phil Hitchcock, a former broadcaster with CHML, and his two older brothers Paul and John, also football players, who kept their younger brother on track, even in the face of adversity.
While many were telling Hitchcock he was wasting his time playing football, he spent more time away from the field lifting weights and working to improve his cardiovascular endurance. The thought of giving up never crossed his mind.
“The word quit was never part of my vocabulary,” says Hitchcock. “It was instilled in me at a young age. If I didn’t have my brothers to look up to, I probably wouldn't have played.”
To stay focused, Hitchcock wrote his goals on his mirror. They became ingrained into his daily mantra: Be a good person and teammate.
Work hard.
Be positive and win.
With his feisty determination, paired with a growth spurt that eventually took him to six-foot-two, and more than 200 pounds, Hitchcock’s game excelled. By the end of his tenure at Glendale, he received a full scholarship to Weber State University in Ogden, Utah – where he thrived.
Hitchcock’s aggressiveness and hunger on the field garnered attention from scouts in the CFL – and the NFL.
While at Weber State in 1995, Hitchcock got a call from his dad.
“My dad was crying. He says, ‘You just got picked up by the Ticats.’ It was amazing hearing my dad,” says Hitchcock. He had been selected in the second round – 17th overall.
“I was going to Hamilton, my home city. It brought back memories of watching my heroes play at Ivor Wynne Stadium when I’d go to games with my dad.”
On Friday, June 30, 1995, Hitchcock wore the black and gold for the first time and the Tiger-Cats beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 37-16 in Regina.
“It was surreal. To put that Ticat helmet on for the first time, it was a dream come true.”
One of Hitchcock’s most memorable moments as a Tiger-Cat was winning the Grey Cup on Nov. 28, 1999 in Vancouver, B.C. after they defeated the Calgary Stampeders 32-21.
He recalls taking a sip from the Grey Cup post-game and remembering everyone who had told him he couldn’t do it.
“Drinking out of the cup was the coolest thing ever. Hearing stories of all these players who had the opportunity to do so before you,” says Hitchcock.
After years viewed as a team leader on and off the field, Hitchcock received news in 2007 he never anticipated. He had been released by Hamilton. He decided to retire but with just three games left that season, Edmonton inquired if he would come out of retirement to boost their playoff run.
“As a player, you rarely leave the game the way you want to,” says Hitchcock, but this was an opportunity to perhaps close out his career on his terms.
He knew his number, worn by star linebacker Dan Kepley, had already been retired by Edmonton. Yet, when Hitchcock walked into the dressing room, his name and his cherished No. 42 was on a jersey hanging at his new locker.
“Dan Kepley had pulled it off the retirement shelf and told me that I have worn this number for 12 years and that I was going to continue to wear it, too,” Hitchcock recalls. “I had tears in my eyes and do now just thinking about it.”
It was fitting that Edmonton’s final game that season would be played in Hamilton.
When the visitors were announced to the field, Hitchcock led the team out. What he didn’t realize was that his teammates had hatched a plan to stop in the end zone.
As the beloved former Ticat stood alone at the 50-yard line – Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007 – loyal Hamilton fans gave him a heartfelt standing ovation. It would be his last game in the CFL, a picture-perfect ending to a stellar career.
Hitchcock immersed himself into a successful business career following his retirement from professional football, embarking in the financial and real estate sectors. He served as vice president for Canada at Walton Global, where he was responsible for maintaining strong relationships with clients and past producers in the financial industry, primarily in Ontario. Additionally, Hitchcock held the position of executive vice president at Equiton Capital, a Canadian real estate investment firm. He’s presently a senior sales executive at Aquiform, Canada's largest distributor of pools, spas, and patio products.
He enjoys spending time with his family and friends and continues to be an avid supporter of the Tiger-Cats but still misses the team commaraderie.
However, in 2019 Hitchcock was thrust back into the football spotlight.
The Wall of Honour night at Tim Hortons Field – Oct. 4, 2019 – was the culmination of his tenacity and hard work. The honour “symbolizes elite performance over a sustained period wearing the black and gold.” Hitchcock is only the second Hamilton-born player on the wall, joining linebacker Bob Krouse, who played 13 seasons with the Ticats in the 1960s and 1970s, earning four Grey Cup titles.
Hitchcock celebrated the recognition with former teammates, fans and his family, always remembering his late father, who passed away May 27, 2013. Phil had seen his son retire from the game he loved to play, but sadly, not his induction to the Wall of Honour, the team’s highest accolade.
It was an emotional night for the star linebacker.
“My dad would have been ecstatic. He would have been up there crying with me. He was my biggest fan,” Hitchcock fondly recalls.
‘Hitch’ also credits his former teammates.
“There is no ‘I’ in team. Every teammate played a big part with me going on the wall. I love them all. It’s a true brotherhood,” says Hitchcock. “It’s truly an honour to be up there with those names. Words can’t describe it. It was a great night.”
Reflecting on his journey to the CFL, Hitchcock has a message for youths seeking to realize their dreams in any area of interest they are pursuing.
“Set goals for yourself and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Have enough in your heart to say, ‘Yes, I can do this,’” says Hitchcock. But he also has words for those leading young people.
“Today with mental health, people need to hear positive things. So, say something positive to someone, it’s going to affect their lives in a better way.”
