Sherwood Schwarz (born November, 1930, died February 14, 2023)[ citation needed ] was an American businessman and founder of Carnegie Associates Ltd and was the owner of the Toronto Argonauts from 1999 to 2003.
Schwarz was born in 1930 on the Lower East Side of New York City, the only child of Romanian and Russian parents. He graduated from the City College of New York with degrees in accounting and business administration. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he went to work in insurance. [1] He founded Carnegie Associates Ltd, situated on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan and part of White Tiger Holding Company, Inc. [2] Schwarz died on February 14, 2023, at the age of 92.[ citation needed ]
On 20 December 1999, Schwarz bought the Toronto Argonauts from Interbrew. He was persuaded to do by his cousin J. I. Albrecht, who became managing director after Schwarz bought the team. [3] Attendance at the Argonauts increased soon after his arrival. He cut ticket prices by 15% and stopped Argonauts games from being blacked out, boosting television ratings. [1]
At the start the 2001 CFL season, he made Michael 'Pinball' Clemons head coach on an interim basis. In 2002, Clemons was made the permanent head coach and went on to make history by becoming the first black coach to win the Grey Cup in 2004. [4]
In early 2002, Schwarz brought in Garth Drabinsky, the founder of Cineplex Cinemas, to increase the public profile of the Argonauts. [3]
In 2003, despite numerous attempts, the finances of the Argonauts failed to improve. To keep the club afloat, Schwarz had to inject $18 million of his own money. He tried to find partners to help finance the team. [5] By 2002, several of the club's creditors had not been paid for months. On 29 July 2003, as the 2003 CFL season began, the CFL assumed control of the team and Schwarz left the club. [3]
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.
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.
Michael Lutrell "Pinball" Clemons is an American-Canadian sports executive and former running back and return specialist who serves as general manager for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is considered by many to be one of the greatest and most famous Argos players of all time, as well as one of the most popular professional athletes in the history of Toronto.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Field.
Adam Rita is a gridiron football coach & general manager, most notably in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He has served as the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa Rough Riders, and BC Lions and as general manager of the Lions and Argonauts. Since leaving the CFL in 2012, Rita has been coaching American football in Europe. Coaching the Bergamo Lions in the Italian Football League (IFL), Calanda Broncos in Switzerland, Prague Panthers in Czech, Berlin Adler Germany, Barcelona Dragons in Spain, in the newly formed European League of Football (ELF) in 2021 and returned again to the Bergamo Lions in 2022.
Eric Tillman is an American-born Canadian football executive who is the vice president of football operations for the Atlantic Schooners. He was previously the general manager of the BC Lions (1993–94), Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa Renegades (2002–04), Saskatchewan Roughriders (2006–2010), Edmonton Eskimos (2010–2012), and Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2016–2018). As a general manager, Tillman has won the Grey Cup three times. In addition to his career as an executive, Tillman has also worked as a CFL analyst for TSN, the CBC, and Rogers Sportsnet in 1998, 2000, and 2005.
Kevin Eiben is a former professional Canadian football linebacker who is currently the defensive co-coordinator and linebackers coach for the Toronto Argonauts and of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted 26th overall by the Argonauts in the 2001 CFL Draft and spent the first 11 years of his playing career with the team, followed by one season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He played college football for the Bucknell Bison.
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J. I. Albrecht was an American-Canadian executive who worked in college and professional sports for 53 years, notably as a general manager and several key director spots in the CFL. He also worked in NFL, NCAA, and NASL.
James Barker is a football executive and coach. He is currently employed by TSN as a CFL panelist. His most recent employment in Canadian football was a senior advisor for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Barker has been the general manager of the Calgary Stampeders from 2005–07, and the Argonauts from 2011-2016. He was also the head coach of the Argonauts in 1999, with the Stampeders in 2003, and then again with the Argos in 2010-11. He has also been a sports analyst for the CFL on TSN. Barker has also served as a football operations consultant and assistant coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He is a four-time Grey Cup champion having won twice as an assistant coach and twice as a football administrator.
John Roland "Big John" Huard is an American business executive and a former football player and coach. After playing college football at the University of Maine, he played professionally as a linebacker with the Denver Broncos of the American Football League (AFL) from 1967 to 1969, with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) in 1971, with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 1973, and with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts from 1973 to 1975. Huard served as the head football coach at the Maine Maritime Academy from 1987 to 1993. He was the head coach of the CFL's Shreveport Pirates in 1994 and the Toronto Argonauts in 2000.
Gary Etcheverry is an American-born American and Canadian football coach who has coached in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, German Football League, Canadian Junior Football League, CIS, and the NCAA.
Richard Stubler was an American football coach, primarily in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was most recently an assistant coach for the Toronto Argonauts. He is a five-time Grey Cup champion, all as a defensive coordinator, and was formerly the head coach of the Argonauts. He has been coaching since the 1970s and has coached at the high school level, NCAA, Arena Football League and the CFL.
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Bob Nicholson is a sport executive who was president of the Toronto Argonauts and an executive of the Montreal Expos when they moved to Washington D.C. to become the Washington Nationals.
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.
Brad Watters is a sports executive who was president of the Toronto Argonauts and Toronto Rock. He ran Ottawa Rebel and the Ottawa Renegades.
The 2019 Toronto Argonauts season was the 62nd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 147th season overall. The Argonauts finished with a 4–14 record, matching their win–loss record from a year prior, and did not qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
The 2021 Toronto Argonauts season was the 63rd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 148th year of existence. The Argonauts improved on their 4–14 record from their previous season in 2019 with a win in week 10 against the Ottawa Redblacks on October 6, 2021. The team qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2017, on October 30, 2021, with a win over the BC Lions. The Argonauts then clinched first place in the East Division after defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on November 12, 2021. However, the Argonauts lost to the same Tiger-Cats in the East Final after holding a 12–0 halftime lead, but were unable to score a touchdown and lost 27–19.