.jpg) Jake "Jacob Gill jr" Gaudaur, c. 1942 | |
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Positions | Center •Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1920-10-05)October 5, 1920 Orillia,Ontario, Canada |
| Died | December 4, 2007(2007-12-04) (aged 87) Burlington, Ontario, Canada |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1940 | Hamilton Tigers |
| 1941 | Toronto Argonauts |
| 1942 | Toronto RCAF Hurricanes |
| 1943 | Ottawa Combines |
| 1944 | Camp Borden RCAF Hurricanes |
| 1945–1946 | Toronto Indians |
| 1947 | Montreal Alouettes |
| 1948–1949 | Hamilton Tigers |
| 1950–1953 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
Operations | |
| 1954–1955 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (President) |
| 1956–1967 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Pres. &GM) |
| 1968–1984 | CFLCommissioner |
| Awards and highlights | |
Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1984) | |
Jacob Gill Gaudaur, Jr.,OC (October 5, 1920 – December 4, 2007) was aCanadian Football League (CFL) player, executive, and commissioner. His 45-year career inCanadian football, including 16 years as the league'sfourth commissioner (and its longest-serving commissioner), oversaw the start of the modern era of professional Canadian football.[1] As an amateur artist, Gaudaur made two important contributions, designing both the Hamilton Tiger-Cats "Leaping Tiger" logo,[2] as well as an early version of the CFL logo. WithRalph Sazio, he co-wrote "The Tiger-Cat Marching Song", the fight song of the Tiger-Cats.
Jake Gaudaur, Jr. was born inOrillia, Ontario on October 5, 1920, and was an all-around athlete atOrillia Collegiate Institute. Like his father,Jake Gaudaur Snr., he was a nationalrowing champion as well as an excellentlacrosse player.[3][4][5]
Gaudaur was based at Uplands Air Force Base and served as a RCAF pilot during the Second World War spending the war training more pilots.
In 1940, aged 19, he began playing football and joined theHamilton Tigers.[6] Thefollowing year he played for theToronto Argonauts. Gaudaur served as a pilot in theSecond World War[7] and won the30th Grey Cup with theToronto RCAF Hurricanes in the1942 season.
Following the war, Gaudaur played for, and was part owner of, theToronto Indians of theOntario Rugby Football Union (1945–1946) and then played for theMontreal Alouettes during the1947 season.[6]
Gaudaur returned to Hamilton to stay in 1948. When the Tigers merged with the Hamilton Flying Wildcats in1950, Gaudaur becameteam captain of the resultingHamilton Tiger-Cats and played through the1951 season. In 1952, he left the playing field to become director of the team but returned to play a final year in the1953 season winning the Tiger-Cats firstGrey Cup, playingcentre.[5][6]
From 1954, Gaudaur was President of the Tiger-Cats and was President &General Manager from the1956 season to1967.[6] The Ti-Cats appeared in 9 Grey Cups over his term as general manager and won in1957,1963,1965, and1967.[8]
Jake was the 4th Commissioner of the CFL serving from 1968 through 1984.During Jake's first year as Commissioner, CFL adopted a new Constitution. In 1980, Jake negotiated and signed on behalf of CFL a record television contract with Carling-O'Keefe Breweries for $15.6 million which covered a 3-year period (1981–1983). By 1983, CFL signed a record television agreement with Carling-O'Keefe Breweries for $33 million over a 3-year period (1984–1986). When met with a crisis whenNelson Skalbania briefly acquired theMontreal Alouettes, Gaudaur arranged for the league to seize the franchise, rebrand it as the Montreal Concordes, and sell the franchise to a new owner,Charles Bronfman. This, along with the continued television sponsorship, kept the Montreal franchise alive for another five seasons.
"During his 16-year tenure as commissioner, Gaudaur did wonders for the league. By 1983, new television contracts had increased revenue six-fold, while game attendance had nearly doubled. Gaudaur was also instrumental in establishing a Player Pension Plan and aided greatly in the founding of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum. Above all, he kept the CFL strictly Canadian. Gaudaur was appointed Governor to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1981 and took on the duties of chairman of the board in 1984. His fundraising efforts resulted in a $1.25 million renovation programme for the Hall to make it one of the most advanced institutions of its kind at the time."[9]
In his last season as CFL commissioner, in 1983, Jake took a personal interest developing a close bond between the CFL and The War Amps kicking off a special tradition – the annual CFL PLAYSAFE Award, saluting the League's support of the PLAYSAFE Program which continues today.[10]
Jake had three daughters.
He died in Burlington, Ontario at the age of 87 in 2007 following a long battle withprostate cancer.