BELLINGHAM, Wash. --- Orlondo Steinauer, a consensus All-America football player at Western Washington University (WWU) in the mid-1990s and a member of the Vikings' Athletic Hall of Fame, was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) on Friday evening, June 17, at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario.

Steinauer, who is the President of Football Operations and Head Coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and 12 other members were welcomed into the CFHOF on the eve of Hamilton's home opener.

Six inductees from the 2020 Class and seven from 2021 formally joined the hallowed ranks of the CFHOF following two years of delays due to the health and safety concerns posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The original announcement of Steinauer's induction was made on April 13, 2021, by the CFHOF and Museum.
  
A born leader, Steinauer was a two-time Grey Cup champion as a player (1999 and 2004).
 
A dominant defensive back known as much for his smarts as his athleticism, Steinauer played for 13 seasons in the CFL, with the Ottawa Rough Riders (1996), Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1997-2000) and Toronto Argonauts (2001-2008). He was named an all-star at three different positions (cornerback, halfback and safety), earning seven East All-Star awards and five CFL All-Star honors.
 
Steinauer's professional career featured 49 interceptions, including five returned for touchdowns. His 1,178 interception return yards are the second most in CFL history.
 
Steinauer, who was born in Seattle and graduated from Lynnwood (Wash.) High School, was an all-star defensive back and kick returner at Western. In 1995, his senior season with the Vikings, Steinauer was a consensus All-American (first-team National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, first-team American Football Coaches Association college division, and second-team Associated Press Little All-America) and was named the school's top male athlete for 1995-96 as he made a school-record and national leading 10 pass interceptions to finish with a career total of 20.
 
In 2019, his first year as a CFL head coach, Steinauer was named the CFL's Coach of the Year, leading Hamilton to the Grey Cup game to decide the CFL championship and a 16-4 record. His Tiger-Cats also reached the Grey Cup in 2021, following a season lost due to the pandemic.
 
Steinauer, who celebrated his 49th birthday last week, is the first WWU athlete to be named a hall of famer in any major professional sport. Following a year as a broadcaster, he was a CFL assistant for eight seasons, being on a Grey Cup championship team as defensive backs coach in 2012. In 2017, Steinauer was the defensive coordinator at NCAA Division I Fresno State University, helping the Bulldogs perform one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in college football history (1-11 to 10-4).
 
Steinauer's wife, former WWU women's basketball player Gina Sampson, was the school's top female athlete award winner for two seasons (1994-95 and 1995-96). She also is a member of the Western Athletics Hall of Fame. They have three daughters.
 
In the 2020 Class are offensive linemen Clyde Brock and Freddie Childress, as well as quarterbacks Henry Burris and Greg Vavra, in the Players category. Calgary Stampeders former Head Coach and current President and General Manager John Hufnagel and former Saint Mary's University (Halifax, Nova Scotia) coach and Athletic Director Larry Uteck (posthumously) were inducted in the Builder Category.
 
Inducted in the Player category as part of the Class of 2021 were defensive linemen Will Johnson and Mike Walker, wide receiver Nik Lewis and defensive backs Orlondo Steinauer and Don Wilson. In the Builder category, the CFHOF welcomed former Montreal Alouettes Head Coach Marv Levy and the sixth Commissioner of the CFL, Doug Mitchell.