 Lawson with Toronto Varsity in 1909 | |
| Born: | (1887-03-19)March 19, 1887 Guelph, Ontario, Canada |
|---|---|
| Died: | December 22, 1963(1963-12-22) (aged 75) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| University | Toronto |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1911–1914 | Toronto Argonauts |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career stats | |
Dr. Alexander Smirle Lawson (March 19, 1887 – December 22, 1963) was a Canadianfootballhalfback who played for three years forToronto Varsity and four years for theToronto Argonauts. He was a two-timeGrey Cup champion and an inaugural member of theCanadian Football Hall of Fame.
Lawson played for theUniversity of Toronto Varsity football team from 1907 to 1909.[1] In1909, Varsity finished with a 6–0 record and Lawson had two tries in the Dominion Semi-Final victory over theIRFU championOttawa Rough Riders.[2] In theDominion Championship, which was the first to be awarded theGrey Cup trophy, Lawson had a try and two singles as Varsity defeated theORFU championToronto Parkdale.[3] He graduated from theUniversity of Toronto in the spring of 1910.[3]
In1911, Lawson joined theToronto Argonauts.[4] In his first year with the team, the Argonauts finished in first place in the IRFU and qualified for their first Dominion Championship game since1901. In the3rd Grey Cup, Lawson faced Toronto Varsity and many of his former teammates, but the Argonauts lost to Varsity 14–7.[1]
In1912, the Argonauts again finished as IRFU champions and qualified for their second consecutive Grey Cup game.[5] However, Lawson was held in check and the Argonauts lost the4th Grey Cup to theHamilton Alerts.[5]
After finishing in third place in1913, the Argonauts returned as IRFU champions in1914.[6] In the6th Grey Cup, Lawson's Argonauts faced his former team, Toronto Varsity.[7] Although he was not in the starting lineup, Lawson became a Grey Cup champion once again as the Argonauts defeated Varsity 14–2.[7]
Following the onset of theFirst World War in 1914, Lawson ended his football playing career and served as a medical officer in the war.[4] Thereafter, he was a professor of surgery at the University of Toronto and also served on the staff ofToronto General Hospital.[4][1] He was also Ontario's chief coroner from 1937 to 1962.[4][1] As chief coroner, Lawson was friends with the Toronto police chief John C. Chisholm and the Justice Walter T. Robb, the chairman of the Ontario Liquor Licensing Board.[8] Lawson came to be influenced by the gangsterJohnny Papalia as the police informerMarvin Elkind recalled in 2011: "In those days, getting a liquor license was like printing money. Very few places had them. They were difficult to get and you had to get to Judge Robb. You just couldn't go to Judge Robb yourself and pay him off. You had to go through somebody...Smirle Lawson was one of his contacts. Charlie Conacher was one of his contracts. So if you wanted a liquor license in a bar or something, you would get to Judge Robb through these certain guys".[9]
Lawson was inducted into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in 1963 and into theCanada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1975.[4] He died, aged 75, inToronto,Ontario.