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Canada’s First National Commissioner of Football

As the CFL formally introduces Stewart Johnston as its new Commissioner this week, Canadian Football History looks back at the very first CFL Commissioner: Gerald Sydney Halter.

G. Sydney Halter, the CFL’s First Commissioner

Sydney Halter was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He held various roles, including treasurer and president, in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers organization before being named the Commissioner of the Western Interprovincial Football Union in 1953.

“Appointment of Sydney Halter.” The Calgary Herald, 31 March 1953, p. 25.

In 1956, he became the Registrar of the Canadian Football Council (CFC), a newly formed umbrella organization for both the WIFU and the eastern Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (the “Big Four”).

Well regarded in football circles across the country, Sydney Halter was named “Canada’s first national commissioner of football” when the Canadian Football League was established by the CFC in 1958. By the way, I totally think the CFL should adopt “National Commissioner of Football” as the official job title for its top role.

Described as a chain-smoking bachelor or “loner” by some, Sydney Halter wielded quite a bit of power in his role as Canada’s professional football boss. The article below (click on them to enlarge) is lengthy but well worth the read. It portrays Halter as a straight shooter and touches on how he didn’t hesitate to deliver fines to players and teams – or fans who interfered in the game. Apparently, home fans tackling opposing players from scoring touchdowns was a thing. Yikes.

O’Brien, Andy. “Czar of Our $7,000,000 Grid Industry.” The Hamilton Spectator, 8 March 1958, p. 90.

O’Brien, Andy. “Czar of Our $7,000,000 Grid Industry.” The Hamilton Spectator, 8 March 1958, p. 91.

Sydney Halter served as the CFL’s commissioner until 1966. He was an early advocate for an interlocking schedule between the East and the West. A lawyer by profession, he also served in the Royal Canadian Air Force and held leadership positions in other Canadian sporting organizations outside of football.

Sydney Halter is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, inducted in 1966, as “the architect of the modern-day Canadian Football League.” He died in 1990. He was Jewish and was inducted posthumously into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

April 23, 2025
The Legendary Toronto Argonauts

They are one of the oldest professional sports teams in North America. For decades, they were the premier summer sporting attraction in Toronto. They are the legendary Toronto Argonauts – commonly known as the Argos.

Argonaut Rowing Club logo

The Argos were founded by the Toronto-based Argonaut Rowing Club on October 4, 1873. Playing rugby football allowed the rowers to keep in shape and build up strength. Many members of the Argonaut Rowing Club had connections to the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England. So, the club adopted Oxford Blue and Cambridge Blue as their official colours – hence the term “Double Blue” – a nickname still used by the Argos today.

The Argonauts played their first rugby football game against Hamilton on October 18, 1873, winning by one goal and one touchdown to nothing at the University of Toronto. A rematch the following week in Hamilton, saw the home side securing the victory. This early home-and-home series served as a prelude to what would later become one of the CFL’s fiercest rivalries.

An account of the first football game between the Argonauts and Hamilton (The Hamilton Spectator, 20 October 1873, p 3.)

The rematch in Hamilton vs. the Argonauts (The Hamilton Spectator, 28 October 1873, p 3.)

So, what exactly is an Argonaut?

To answer this question, you need to go back in history – way back – to 1400 BC or earlier. The Argonauts were great oarsmen of Greek mythology. According to legend, Jason and the Argonauts set sail on a ship named the Argo in their quest for the Golden Fleece. Over the years, the Argos have embraced this Greek mythology connection by incorporating imagery such as shields and ancient Greek warriors into their logos and uniforms. Their mascot is Jason the Argonaut.

The Argo painting by Greek artist Konstantinos Volanakis

Because of their rowing club roots, the Argos are often referred to as the Boatmen or the Scullers. The Argonaut Rowing Club continued to operate the Argos until 1956 when they sold the football team to private investors.

Like their ancient namesakes, who ultimately captured the Golden Fleece, the Toronto Argonauts continue their annual quest for the Grey Cup, having won the national championship a record 19 times – earning them their own place in the annals of history.

Further reading:

History of the Argonaut Rowing Club

This is the seventh of a series of posts that will explore the stories behind the names of the existing Canadian Football League teams. See the previous post on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

April 16, 2025
Tigers, Wildcats Merge to Form the Tiger-Cats

Depending on the criteria chosen and who you ask (relax, Argo fans!) the city of Hamilton boasts Canada’s oldest football club. The Hamilton Foot Ball Club was founded on November 3, 1869. Yes, they spelled football with two words back then. The team played in the Ontario Rugby Football Union from 1893 to 1906 before joining the new Interprovincial Rugby Football Union in 1907.

A news article announcing the founding of the Hamilton Foot Ball Club
(The Hamilton Spectator, 4 November 1869, p 2.)

The team wore black and orange and later black and yellow uniforms and were known as the Tigers. It was this Tigers team that played in the second Grey Cup in 1910.

In 1941, the Tigers suspended play as a result of the Second World War. The IRFU itself shut down a year later. To fill the void, the Hamilton Wildcats were formed and played in the ORFU, winning the Grey Cup in 1943. Due to the high number of air force personnel playing for the team, the club was known as the Flying Wildcats during the war years.

After the war ended, the IRFU and the Hamilton Tigers resumed play. Unfortunately, the Hamilton market couldn’t support two football teams. Both the Tigers and the Wildcats found themselves competing for business and facing financial challenges. After a dispute with the IRFU, the Tigers and Wildcats actually swapped leagues for a couple of seasons with the Tigers playing in the ORFU and the Wildcats joining the IRFU in 1948.

“Merger of Wildcats, Tigers, Completed.” The Hamilton Spectator, 31 January 1950, p 24.

Finally, a group of Hamilton citizens pushed for the amalgamation of the Tigers and Wildcats. It was clear that Hamilton could sustain only one team, especially with the growing professionalization of the game of football.

Thus, in 1950, the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats merged into one club and became the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The 1950 amalgamated Hamilton Tiger-Cats
(photo courtesy of the Canadian Football Research Society)

This is the sixth of a series of posts that will explore the stories behind the names of the existing Canadian Football League teams. See the previous post on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

April 9, 2025
The Blue Bombers of Western Football

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Boxing legend Joe Louis. Labatt Breweries. And the Toronto Blue Jays. Believe it or not there’s an interesting connection between these four entities spanning several decades.

The Winnipeg Football Club was established in 1930. They were originally called the Winnipeg Rugby Football Club but dropped the “Rugby” from the team’s name not long after being formed. The team was unofficially known simply as the Winnipegs or the ‘Pegs for short. In the early days, the club wore green and white uniforms before quickly adopting blue and gold as their team colours. This colour choice plays an important part of the story as you will see.

In 1935, Winnipeg travelled east to Hamilton and beat the hometown Tigers 18-12 in the Grey Cup. The victory gave the Winnipegs the distinction of becoming the first western team to win the Grey Cup championship. Enthusiastic crowds welcomed home the Winnipegs, and businesses lined up to congratulate the new champions of “Canadian rugby.”

Hudson’s Bay Company advertisement congratulating the Winnipegs on their 1935 Grey Cup victory (source: The Winnipeg Tribune, 10 December 1935, page 17)

Around the same time, an African American by the name of Joe Louis was taking the professional boxing world by storm. He was given the racialized nickname “The Brown Bomber” by American media. The story goes that a local Winnipeg journalist named Vince Leah, catching wind of the “Brown Bomber” nickname, referred to the Winnipegs as the “Blue Bombers of Western Football.”

The name stuck, and the football club became known as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers ever since.

Media started referring to the Winnipegs as the “Blue Bombers” in 1936. (source: The Winnipeg Tribune, 5 September 1936, page 21.)

The Super Bombers (source: The Winnipeg Tribune, 31 October 1936, page 29.)

In the 1950s, Labatt Breweries introduced a new brand of beer in the Manitoba market. With its colourful blue labelling, Winnipeg football fans referred to the beer as Labatt “Blue.” Labatt eventually adopted the name officially and became a sponsor of the Blue Bombers and the CFL.

Fast forward a couple decades later. Toronto was awarded an expansion franchise in Major League Baseball. Labatt Breweries had a significant ownership stake in the new team and wanted to leverage its Labatt Blue brand. Toronto’s other two sports teams – the Argonauts and the Maple Leafs – both had blue as a team colour. The writing was on the wall. Toronto’s new sport team was also going to be blue. So, the Toronto Blue Jays were born.

Further reading:

Football in Winnipeg (Manitoba Museum)

Labatt Blue origins (Labatt website)

This is the fifth of a series of posts that will explore the stories behind the names of the existing Canadian Football League teams. See the previous post on the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

April 2, 2025
The Rouge in American Football?

Last week’s post centred around the debate about abolishing the rouge in Canadian football. This week let’s take a different approach to the single point and ask the following: What if the rouge were adopted into the American game?

While there is certainly no ongoing debate over such a move, it actually has been discussed before. In fact, the rouge has even been used in exhibition scrimmages in American college football. Below are a few news articles from the late 1930s about the possibility of the North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference incorporating the Canadian rouge into the U.S. game.

Source: The Montreal Star, 1 Dec 1938, page 31. (newspapers.com)

The pro-rouge camp was led by Charles Aaron West, the head coach at the University of North Dakota. Interestingly, the main argument for adopting the single-point rouge was that it would be an easy and effective way to break tied games. Plus, the rouge was deemed a reward to teams who moved the ball downfield by giving them the opportunity to simply kick for singles.

Source: The Brantford Expositor, 2 Dec 1938, page 21. (newspapers.com)

Of course, the Canadian rouge was ultimately not adopted and used in the broader U.S. college football game. But, Coach West and others certainly saw merit in the play. In 1946, West headed north and became the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. His love for the Canadian rouge would have made the move a natural fit. Throughout history, the unique rules and nuances of Canadian football have been embraced by numerous American football coaches and players alike.

Source: The Edmonton Journal, 27 June 1939, page 15. (newspapers.com)

But, just imagine what it would be like today had Charles West got his way back in 1939. Would Americans be questioning whether the Rose Bowl or Super Bowl should be won on a missed field goal?

March 26, 2025