Former Edmonton Eskimo Tom Towns says he is humbled to be honored with a plaque on the University of Alberta’s Sports Wall of Fame.

Towns, who now owns and operates Kline Fine Jewellery and Design, says he was surprised to be recognized for his accomplishments with the Golden Bears football and wrestling teams. Towns played three seasons for the Bears as a backup running back, and as the team’s starting middle linebacker.

His superior play caught the attention of the Eskimos, and from 1975 to 1984 he played for the “other” Green and Gold squad and was an important cog in the Eskimo dynasty that captured six Grey Cup championships.

“I feel humbled to go up on the wall with such a special group of men,” he says. “Some of these guys were my mentors.”

The U of A Wall of Fame, which now has 79 members, pays trrbute to outstanding builders of the university’s sports programs and their best athletes.

Towns says wrestling gave him the confidence to go one-on-one with anybody on the gridiron, noting even though he was undersized for the heavyweight division, he liked the competition.

“I could have lost weight (and dropped down to wrestle in a different category), but it was very challenging for me to go up to heavyweight.”

But football was his first love. After his playing career ended, Towns returned to the university and served as a guest coach for the Bears and Eskies. He also served as a volunteer for the Alberta Foundation for Diabetes Research, as a member of the Eskimo Alumni Association board of directors, and as a fund-raiser for a charitable organization that generates support for children’s education programs.

“When you win and lose with someone, instead of going up on that pedestal by yourself, it’s a wonderful feeling and much more rewarding to be there with them,”  he says.