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Jake Gaudaur

Jake Gaudaur had a long career with the Ticats, but an even longer one as commissioner of the Canadian Football League.
Jake Gaudaur had a long career with the Ticats, but an even longer one as commissioner of the Canadian Football League.  (Paul Hourigan)  

As a child, Jake Gaudaur followed in the sporting footsteps of the father for whom he was named. He, like his dad, was a national rowing champion as well as a top-flight lacrosse player, mastering two sports deeply ingrained in the country’s history.

But it was in football where Gaudaur had his biggest impact. He began as a player, finally settling with the Hamilton Tigers in 1948 before they merged two years later with the Hamilton Wildcats (hence, Tiger-Cats, you see?) and ended his on-field career as a Grey Cup champion in 1953.

He then became the team’s director, president and general manager for 11 years before moving into his most familiar role as the commissioner of the Canadian Football League from 1968 to 1984, the longest-serving boss in the history of the league.

FM
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