Eric Cradock

Last updated

Eric Cradock (died October 5, 1985) was a Canadian stockbroker and sports entrepreneur who played a key role in Canadian football development in the 1940s and 1950s. Toronto-born Cradock worked in mining and stocks, and was reputed to have become a millionaire in his early 20s.

Along with Lew Hayman and Léo Dandurand, Cradock co-founded the original Montreal Alouettes in 1946. The team quickly gained respectability, winning the Grey Cup in 1949. Cradock had a flair for showmanship and was successful in attracting paying customers.

Cradock sold his shares in the Alouettes for profit in 1952 and returned to Toronto. In the mid-1950s he angled to take control of Toronto Argonauts from the Argonaut Rowing Club. In 1956 he joined another ownership trio, this time with John Bassett and Charlie Burns, and became co-owner of the club. Cradock brought back old friend Hayman to run the club. He had sold out by 1960, apparently over differences with Bassett.

Football was not his only avenue of sports entrepreneurship. In 1946, while also founding the Alouettes, he was co-owner of the short-lived Toronto Huskies of the Basketball Association of America. The team folded after just one year.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montreal Alouettes</span> Canadian football team

The Montreal Alouettes are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and are the current Grey Cup champions, defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 110th Grey Cup Game in 2023. Their home field is Percival Molson Memorial Stadium for the regular season and as of 2014 also home of their playoff games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Argonauts</span> Canadian professional football team

The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1873, the team is the oldest existing professional sports team in North America still using its original name, as well as the oldest-surviving team in both the modern-day CFL and East Division. The team's origins date back to a modified version of rugby football that emerged in North America in the latter half of the 19th century. The Argonauts played their home games at Rogers Centre from 1989 until 2016, when the team moved to BMO Field, the fifth stadium site to host the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Football Hall of Fame</span> Canadian football museum in Ontario, Canada

The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, Canadian university football and Canadian junior football history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Huskies</span> Basketball team in Toronto, Ontario

The Toronto Huskies were a team in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which was a forerunner of the National Basketball Association (NBA), during the 1946–47 season. They were based in Toronto. The team compiled a 22–38 win–loss record in its only season before disbanding in the summer of 1947.

John White Hughes Bassett, was a Canadian media proprietor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Léo Dandurand</span>

Joseph Viateur "Léo" Dandurand, was an American-Canadian sportsman and businessman. He was the owner and coach of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). He also was an owner of race tracks and of the Montreal Alouettes football team in the league that evolved into the Canadian Football League.

Jacob Gill Gaudaur, Jr., was a Canadian Football League (CFL) player, executive, and commissioner. His 45-year career in Canadian football, including 16 years as the league's fourth commissioner, oversaw the start of the modern era of professional Canadian football. As an amateur artist, Gaudaur made two important contributions, designing both the Hamilton Tiger-Cats "Leaping Tiger" logo, as well as an early version of the CFL logo. With Ralph Sazio, he co-wrote "The Tiger-Cat Marching Song", the fight song of the Tiger-Cats.

The East Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League, its counterpart being the West Division. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the East Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues.

The Lew Hayman Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy, awarded to the outstanding Canadian player in the East Division. Each team in the East Division nominates a player, from which the winner is chosen. Either the winner of the Hayman trophy or the Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy will also win the Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Canadian award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Popp</span> American sports executive

James Thomas Popp is an American sports executive and coach. Popp is Vice President, Player Personnel, for the United States Football League (USFL). In 2021, Popp was Chief of Staff, Advisor to the Head Coach for the Charlotte 49ers football and also a running back coach and assistant head coach for the Alabama State Hornets. He worked extensively in the Canadian Football League, and was most recently the general manager of the Toronto Argonauts. Popp spent over two decades as General Manager of the Montreal Alouettes including several stints as Head Coach. Popp served as General Manager for two years for Baltimore Stallions, and the Director of Player Personnel for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. As a CFL general manager, three separate franchises under Popp have won five Grey Cup championship wins out of 11 appearances.

Lewis Edward Hayman was an American sports figure. He was one of the driving forces behind the Canadian Football League as coach, general manager, team president, and league president. As head coach, he was a five-time Grey Cup winner with three different teams. Hayman was a pioneer in bringing African Americans into the CFL, hiring one of professional football's first Black players, Herb Trawick, and coach Willie Wood. He was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Leo Cahill was an American head coach and general manager in the Canadian Football League (CFL), much of it spent with the Toronto Argonauts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Toronto</span> Overview of sports traditions and activities in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has a long history of sport. It is home to a number of clubs, including the Granite Club, the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club, the Argonaut Rowing Club, Toronto Argonauts football club, the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club, and the Badminton and Racquet Club. A number of heritage venues have developed in Toronto such as: Christie Pits, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Varsity Arena, and Maple Leaf Gardens. Toronto is also the location of the Canadian Football League's headquarters.

The National Football League (NFL) has been playing games in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, since 1959 when an interleague game between the Chicago Cardinals of the NFL and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL) took place at Exhibition Stadium. Subsequently, a number of neutral site preseason and regular season games between NFL teams have been staged in the city. Toronto is one of five cities outside the United States, along with London, Mexico City, Frankfurt and Munich, which have hosted regular season NFL games.

The 1946–47 BAA season was the Toronto Huskies' inaugural and sole season of existence. The NBA's first game was played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on November 1, 1946. The New York Knickerbockers defeated the Toronto Huskies 68–66 at Maple Leaf Gardens. The teams were part of the Basketball Association of America, the forerunner to the NBA. The Huskies finished last in their division and folded after one season. Throughout the season, the Huskies had four head coaches: Ed Sadowski 3–9, Lew Hayman 0–1, Dick Fitzgerald 2–1, and Red Rolfe 17–27.

African Americans have played prominent roles in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and its precursors since 1946. In many cases black Americans have been able to pursue professional football opportunities in the CFL that were for one reason or another unavailable in the United States. Especially in the mid-20th century, many African American players came to Canada to avoid the racially charged atmosphere of segregation-era America. For many years, blacks were better represented in the CFL than they were in the National Football League (NFL), and achieved a number of "firsts" in the CFL years before the same was accomplished in the NFL. More recently, the CFL has provided opportunities for black, as well as other, Americans unable to break into the NFL.

Edward Henry Reeve was a multi-sport Canadian athlete and sports journalist. He was on two Grey Cup winning teams as a football player, a Mann Cup championship as a lacrosse player and three Yates Cup championships as a coach for Queen's University. He is a member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. As an athlete Reeve was noted for determination and inspiring team-mates. He acquired the nickname "the Moaner" in later years after one of the characters in his newspaper columns, Moaner McGruffery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hénoc Muamba</span> Congolese-Canadian gridiron football player (born 1989)

Hénoc Muamba is a Congolese-Canadian former professional football linebacker who played in both the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He is a two-time CFL All-Star, three-time CFL Divisional All-Star, and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian in 2017. In 2022, he won the Grey Cup with the Argonauts and was named the game's most valuable player (MVP) and Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian, becoming the second player in history to earn both awards. He has also been a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Indianapolis Colts, Montreal Alouettes, Dallas Cowboys, and Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The 2015 CFL season was the 62nd season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 58th Canadian Football League season. The Edmonton Eskimos won the 103rd Grey Cup on November 29, defeating the Ottawa Redblacks 26–20 in Winnipeg. The schedule was released February 13, 2015 and the regular season began on June 25, 2015.

The 2016 CFL season was the 63rd season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 59th Canadian Football League season. Toronto hosted the 104th Grey Cup on November 27. The regular season began on June 23 and ended on November 5.

References