Former Pigskin Pete, Paul Weiler dies

Ticat fans are remembering a legend who roamed Ivor Wynne Stadium for more than 30 years, but he never played a down of football.

Paul Weiler, better known as Pigskin Pete, died this morning. And in his time as Pigskin Pete, he led one of the most famous cheers in sports — the Oskee Wee Wee.

Paul Weiler led that cheer more than 20-thousand times as Pigskin Pete and his family says he never tired of it.

June Weiler is Paul’s wife: “He loved it. He did it for over thirty years and every game was amazing for him.”

But if there’s one thing Weiler loved as much as the Ticats, it was his family. His wife June went with him to every game and he even got his granddaughters — Kassandra, Stephanie and Courtney — in on the action: “Our fondest memories are when pappa took us into the stands and onto the field so we could do the Oskee Wee Wee with him. The fans went crazy. They wanted our autograph’s. It was just Ticats spirit all around.”

That’s what made him so good — he understood the significance of the cheer.

Paul in a previous interview: “Some of the kids in Hamilton learn how to say Oskee Wee Wee before they learn how to say mum and dad.”

There have only been four Pigskin Pete’s in Ticats history. Weiler took over the role from Bill Wirtz in 1976. Wirtz inherited the role from his father Vince who was the original Pigskin Pete from the 1920’s to 1966. But for Dan Black, the current Pigskin Pete, Weiler is number one: “He’ll be missed. I still to this day hear your not as good as the original and when they say original they mean Paul Weiler. And I agree.”

Weiler’s son Doug says his dad was the first Pigskin Pete to go into the stands: As the Ticats were up and down like this he kept the crowds going because he brought it to them right, way different than any other Pigskin Pete.”

So even though his voice is quiet tonight, his spirit lives on in the cheer.

Paul’s granddaughters say one thing many people didn’t know about their pappa was that he made a mean spaghetti sauce.

Councillor Sam Merulla is looking at having Paul Weiler inducted into the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame as well as the wall of fame at Tim Hortons Field.

Funeral arrangements:

Viewing on Friday, September 12th from 2-4 and 7-9 at the Douglas Brown Funeral Home on Lake Avenue.

Funeral on Saturday, September 13th at 9am at Incarnation of our Blessed Lord.

A reception will be held at the Knights Of Columbus on Queenston Road from 10-4 on Saturday.