{allcanada} Funeral held for Proudfoot

 

MONTREAL -- Family and friends of former CFL all-star Tony Proudfoot are gathering in Montreal to bid farewell to the football player, known as much for his prowess on the field as for his grit in battling a devastating disease.

His family entered a suburban church following a bagpiper playing "Amazing Grace."

Proudfoot died Dec. 30 at the age of 61 after a three-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a terminal, degenerative illness more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Although Proudfoot was a public face of ALS through his research fundraising and his newspaper chronicles about the disease, his family asked the media for privacy during the funeral service.

Proudfoot starred at defensive back for the Montreal Alouettes and B.C. Lions over 12 seasons, winning Grey Cups in 1974 and 1977 with the Als.

Before the 1977 championship game, which became known as the "Ice Bowl," Proudfoot popped staples into the soles of his shoes to improve his traction on the frozen turf at Montreal's Olympic Stadium.

Proudfoot mounted a public battle against ALS through the Tony Proudfoot Fund, which has raised more than $530,000 for research and for patients' families.

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