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For the former world champion sculler see Jake Gaudaur Snr.

Jacob Gill "Jake" Gaudaur, Jr., Template:Post-nominals (October 5, 1920 – December 4, 2007) 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. [1]

Jake Gaudaur
BornJacob Gill Gaudaur, Jr.
(1920-10-05)October 5, 1920
Orillia, Ontario
DiedDecember 4, 2007(2007-12-04) (aged 87)
Burlington, Ontario
Cause of deathprostate cancer
ResidenceBurlington, Ontario
NationalityCanadian
TitleCFL Commissioner
Term1968–1984
PredecessorAllan McEachern
SuccessorDouglas Mitchell
Board member ofCanadian Football League, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Jake Gaudaur
Date of birth: (1920-10-05)October 5, 1920
Place of birth: Orillia, Ontario, Canada
Date of death: December 4, 2007(2007-12-04) (aged 87)
Place of death: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Career information
Position(s): Commissioner
Organizations
 As administrator:
1968–1984 CFL
 As player:
1940
1941
1945–1946
1947
1948–1949
1950–1953
Hamilton Tigers
Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Indians
Montreal Alouettes
Hamilton Tigers
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Career highlights and awards
Awards:
Honors: Grey Cup champion - 1942 & 1953
Canadian Football Hall of Fame, 1984

Early life

Jake Gaudaur, Jr., born in Orillia, Ontario October 5, 1920, was an all-around athlete at Orillia Collegiate Institute. Like his father, Jake Gaudaur Snr., he was a national rowing champion as well as an excellent lacrosse player.[2][3][4]

Football career

In 1940, aged 19, he began playing football and joined the Hamilton Tigers.[5] The following year he played for the Toronto Argonauts. Gaudaur served as a pilot in the Second World War[6] and won the 30th Grey Cup with the Toronto RCAF Hurricanes in the 1942 season.

Following the war, Gaudaur played for, and was part owner of, the Toronto Indians of the Ontario Rugby Football Union (19451946) and then played for the Montreal Alouettes during the 1947 season.[5]

Gaudaur returned to Hamilton to stay in 1948. When the Tigers merged with the Hamilton Flying Wildcats in 1950, Gaudaur became team captain of the resulting Hamilton Tiger-Cats and played through the 1951 season. In 1952, he left the playing field to became director of the team but returned to play a final year in the 1953 season winning the Tiger-Cats first Grey Cup playing centre.[4][5]

From 1954, Gaudaur was President of the Tiger-Cats and was President & General Manager from the 1956 season to 1967.[5] The Ti-Cats appeared in 9 Grey Cups over his term as general manager and won in 1957, 1963, 1965, and 1967.[7]


He died at the age of 87 in 2007 following a long battle with prostate cancer.

Honours

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Template:OCC
  2. Moro, Teviah (2007-12-04). "An athlete and a gentleman". Orillia Packet. http://www.orilliapacket.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=804634. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Jake Gaudaur, Jr.". Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. http://www.cshof.ca/hm_profile.php?i=124.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Frank Cosentino. "Jake Gaudaur". The Canadian Encyclopedia. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0003181. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "J. G. (Jake) Gaudaur". Canadian Football Hall of Fame & Museum. http://www.cfhof.ca/page/gaudaurjg. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  6. The Canadian Press. "Ex-CFL commissioner Gaudaur passes". TSN. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/news_story/?ID=224349. Retrieved 2007-12-05.[dead link]
  7. "HISTORY - Grey Cup". Hamilton Tiger-Cats. http://www.ticats.ca/index.php?module=page&id=4038. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
  8. "J.G. 'Jake' Gaudaur - Inducted in 1984". Argonauts Hall of Famers. Toronto Argonauts Football Club. Archived from the original on 2007-12-07. http://web.archive.org/web/20071207090855/http://www.argonauts.ca/Argos/History/HallOfFame/Jake_Gaudaur.html. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
  9. McCormick, Murray (2010-11-25)."McCullough wins inaugural award". Regina Leader Post. http://www.leaderpost.com/sports/McCullough+wins+inaugural+award/3880691/story.html. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Allan McEachern
Canadian Football League commissioner
1968–1984
Succeeded by
Douglas Mitchell
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