 Stukus in 1954 | |
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Positions | Quarterback •Kicker |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 25, 1914 (1914-10-25) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | May 20, 2006 (2006-05-21) (aged 91) Canmore, Alberta, Canada |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1935–1941 | Toronto Argonauts |
| 1942 | Toronto/Oakwood Indians |
| 1943 | Balmy Beach |
| 1944 | HMCS York Bulldogs |
| 1945–1946 | Toronto Indians |
| 1949–1951 | Edmonton Eskimos |
Coaching | |
| 1949–1951 | Edmonton Eskimos |
| 1953 | Vancouver Cubs |
| 1954–1955 | BC Lions |
Operations | |
| 1954–1955 | BC Lions |
| Awards and highlights | |
Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1974) | |
Annis Paul Stukus (October 25, 1914 – May 20, 2006) was a Canadian professionalfootball player, journalist, coach, broadcaster, and executive. He was the first head coach of theEdmonton Eskimos and theBC Lions of the Western Interprovincial Football Union (now theWest Division of theCanadian Football League) and the first general manager of theWinnipeg Jets of theWorld Hockey Association.
Stukus was born inToronto,Ontario. He played for theToronto Argonauts from 1935 to 1941, leading the team toGrey Cup victories in 1937 and 1938 (playing 45 regular season and 14 playoff games).[1] He then played for the Oakwood Indians (1942), Balmy Beach (1943), HMCS York Bulldogs (1944) and the Toronto Indians (1945, 1946), all Toronto-based teams. He played alongside his brothersBill andFrank on the Argonauts and Indians and the trio played together in the offensive backfield of the1938 Grey Cup champion Argonaut team.[2][3] After his playing career ended, Stukus became a sportswriter for theToronto Star.[4]
In 1949, Stukus was hired as the head coach of theEdmonton Eskimos, which were reentering the Western Interprovincial Football Union after a ten year absence. He was chosen overCincinnati Bearcats football coachRay Nolting due to his knowledge of the Canadian game.[5] Stukus not only assembled a roster from scratch, but promoted the sport throughout the city, leading to the growth of junior and high school football in Edmonton.[6][7] Edmonton compiled a 4–10 in its inaugural season.[8] The following year, Edmonton went 7–7 and beat theSaskatchewan Roughriders 24 to 1 in the Western Semi-Final. Edmonton defeated theWinnipeg Blue Bombers 17 to 16 in the first game of the Western Finals, but dropped the final two of the best-of-three series.[9] Edmonton finished the 1951 season with an 8–6 record and were eliminated from the postseason by the Roughriders after losing the third game of the Western Finals by a single point.[10][7] Stukus left at the end of the season to return to theToronto Star.[7]
In February 1953, Stukus signed a three-year contract to become the first head coach and general manager of Vancouver's expansion football club – theBC Lions.[11] As the Lions would not begin play until 1954, Stukus spent his first in Vancouver promoting the sport. This included putting together an amateur team to play a series of exhibition games.[12] The Lions went 1–15 in 1954 and 5–11 in 1955.[13][14]
Stukus' contract was not renewed after 1955 season and he became a football writer for theVancouver Sun.[15][16] In 1958, he became a foreign correspondent for the paper and covered theSecond Taiwan Strait Crisis fromQuemoy.[17] In 1961, he returned to Toronto as a sportswriter for theTelegram and a commentator for theCFL on CTV.[18] In 1967, he appeared in an episode ofQuentin Durgens, M.P. as a member of parliament from Manitoba.[19]
In 1967, Stukus signed a four-year contract as general manager of theVancouver Canucks of the minor proWestern Hockey League. The team was preparing to move into the newPacific Coliseum and was making a push for entry into theNational Hockey League.[20] He was fired on June 28, 1968 for "services unsatisfactory" and sued for wrongful termination.[21] Following his dismissal, Stukus was the sports director atCFUN/CKVN and was an unsuccessful candidate for theSocial Credit Party inNorth Vancouver-Seymour during the1969 British Columbia general election.[22][23]
From 1971 to 1974, Stukus was the general manager of theWinnipeg Jets of the newly-formedWorld Hockey Association. He was responsible for team operations, public relations, and season ticket sales.[24][25]
After leaving the Jets, Stukus returned to CFUN.[26] He was replaced byTom Larscheid in 1983.[27]
TheCFL's annual award for coach of the year is named in his honour. He was elected into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame and theCanadian Sports Hall of Fame.
He died at his home inCanmore, Alberta, at age 91 on May 20, 2006.
| Preceded by Position created | General Manager of the original Winnipeg Jets 1972–74 | Succeeded by |