Ernie Calcutt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1932-11-01)November 1, 1932 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | January 10, 1984(1984-01-10) (aged 51) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Resting place | Notre-Dame Cemetery, Ottawa |
| Occupations | Sports commentator and radio news director |
| Known for | Ottawa Rough Riders andCFRA |
| Awards | Canadian Football Hall of Fame Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame |
Ernest George Calcutt (November 1, 1932 – January 10, 1984) was a Canadiansports commentator and radio news director. He worked forCFRA 580-AM in Ottawa, and was the voice for theOttawa Rough Riders radio broadcasts from 1964 to 1983. He served as a president of the Canadian Football Reporters, and was inducted into both theCanadian Football Hall of Fame and theOttawa Sport Hall of Fame.
Ernest George Calcutt was born on November 1, 1932, inOttawa, Ontario,[1][2][3] the son of Allan and Doris Calcutt.[4] He grew up in theCentretown neighbourhood of Ottawa, was an altar boy atSt Patrick's Basilica and frequented theOttawa Auditorium as a youth.[5][6] He playedCanadian football andice hockey, and attendedSt. Patrick's High School. He was married, and had five children.[3]
Calcutt began working forCFRA 580-AM radio part-time in 1961. He also worked withMetropolitan Life Insurance for 12 years, until he joined CRFA full-time in 1964.[3][5][7] He became the station's sports director in 1965, and then its news director in 1968.[8] He broadcast sports news reports every 30 minutes, gave a daily morning commentary and hosted a public affairs talk show.[3]
Calcutt was the English language radiosports commentator for theOttawa Rough Riders from 1964 to 1983.[9][10] TheOttawa Citizen described Calcutt as having an encyclopedic knowledge of Canadian football,[5][7] and that he was candid about the Ottawa Rough Riders and not intimidated to give criticism despite that the team and radio station had common ownership.[3] During his broadcast tenure, the team competed in sixGrey Cup games and won fourCanadian Football League championships. He was credited for having a sense of on-air humour, and for coining the phrases "pulling an el foldo" and "being as wide open as a church door on a Sunday morning".[11] He also served as president of the Canadian Football Reporters,[3][8] and was a recurring host of theSchenley Award for the league's most valuable player.[11]
Calcutt served as a director with the Ottawa Boys and Girls Club, and was a founding member of both theOttawa Sport Hall of Fame in 1968, and theChildren's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in 1974.[11] He was a frequent master of ceremonies for the Ottawa Sports Awards annual dinner,[12] and made contributions to theEaster Seals telethon hosted in Ottawa.[3] He helped establish Operation Go Home, to return runaway children to their families. TheOttawa Police Service credited his efforts for taking 15,000 children off the streets in 11 years.[6]
Calcutt died on January 10, 1984, in Ottawa, Ontario,[2] due to a stroke.[8][10] His funeral at St Patrick's Basilica was reported to have been attended by at least one thousand people.[6] His remains were cremated and a memorial was erected atNotre-Dame Cemetery in Ottawa.[2] He was succeeded byJohn Badham as the radio announcer for the Ottawa Rough Riders and the sports director of CFRA.[8][13]
The City of Ottawa made him the namesake of Ernie Calcutt Park in 1984.[11][14] The newartificial turf field atLansdowne Park Stadium was also named for Calcutt in 1984.[11] He was inducted into the builder category of the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.[1][11] He was named to the honour roll of Sports Media Canada, and is a partial namesake of the Ernie Calcutt/Eddie MacCabe/Brian Smith Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports Media in Ottawa.[11]
On October 29, 2014, thepress box and media centre at the renovatedTD Place Stadium were named for Calcutt.[9] He was inducted into the football reporters section ofCanadian Football Hall of Fame on November 26, 2017, in a ceremony at the105th Grey Cup game played in Ottawa.[15][16]