HAMILTON (CFL.ca wire) -- During a press conference on Wednesday at the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' head office in downtown Hamilton, team president Scott Mitchell announced that Bob O’Billovich has been hired as the club’s general manager.

“It's with great pleasure that the Hamilton Tiger-Cats announce Bob O’Billovich as our new general manager,” said Mitchell. “Bob brings an unsurpassed amount of CFL experience, expertise and credibility to this job and that's exactly what this franchise needs today and moving forward. Great players make great coaches and great organizations and Bob is as good as anybody in this league at finding great CFL players, as he's demonstrated for more than 25 years. The only goal for this franchise is to bring the Grey Cup back to Hamilton for the 16th time. We believe the addition of Bob O'Billovich today is an important step in achieving that goal.”

O’Billovich joins the Tiger-Cats after serving as director of player personnel for the B.C. Lions for past five seasons. During this tenure with the team, the Lions have recorded the best record in the CFL (63-26-1).

Working in CFL football operations for more than 30 years, O’Billovich has been credited for scouting the talents of Willie Pless, Dave Dickenson, Mike 'Pinball' Clemons, Darren Flutie, Mark Boerigter, Matt Clark and most recently, the CFL’s 2007 Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Defensive Player, Cameron Wake.

“I am very excited about my new opportunity to join one of the storied franchises in the CFL,” said O’Billovich. “Bob (Young) and Scott’s (Mitchell) commitment to building a championship caliber team here in Hamilton was a major factor in my decision to come here.”

Following a successful playing career, O’Billovich left the field for the coaching ranks with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1974. In 1982, he became the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts where he was twice named the CFL’s Coach of the Year and led the Argos to three Grey Cup appearances.

O’Billovich joined the Lions for the first time in 1990 as vice president of football operations, general manager and head coach and served in those capacities until returning to the Argonauts as general manager and head coach in 1993.

Bob and his wife Judy have three children, Tracy, Jodi and Coy.