MONTREAL, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Former Canadian Football League player Tony Proudfoot, who won two Grey Cup championships, has died in Montreal at age 61, officials said.
McGill University Health Center said Proudfoot died Thursday after a long struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
Proudfoot was an all-star defensive back for the Montreal Alouettes, for whom he played nine seasons, winning Grey Cups with them in 1974 and 1977.
The CBC said Proudfoot had spoken openly about his struggle with ALS after he was diagnosed with the fatal neurodegenerative condition in 2007. He was on a ventilator 22 hours a day and had lost all motor skills near the end of his life.
Proudfoot, a Winnipeg native, attended the University of New Brunswick. He is credited with the idea of putting staples into the shoes of the Alouettes during the 1977 Grey Cup, allowing them better traction than the Edmonton Eskimos in a famous contest known as The Ice Bowl.
Proudfoot is survived by his wife Vicki and three children.
