The 1986Hamilton Tiger-Cats season was the 29th season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 37th overall. The Tiger-Cats finished in 2nd place in the East Division with a 9–8–1 record and won the Grey Cup over the Edmonton Eskimos.
Tiger-Cats owner Harold Ballard claimed to be losing a million dollars a year as owner of the Tiger-Cats.[1] In 1986, Ballard publicly called the Tiger-Cats a bunch of overpaid losers.[1] After the Tiger Cats beat the Toronto Argonauts in the 1986 Eastern Final, Ballard said "You guys may still be overpaid, but after today, no one can call you losers."[1] A few days later, the Tiger-Cats won the 1986 Grey Cup by beating the Edmonton Eskimos 39–15 and Ballard said it was worth every penny.