BURLINGTON, Ont. — One of the CFL's most influential commissioners has died.
Jake Gaudaur died of cancer Tuesday morning at the age of 87, his daughter Diane said.
Born Jacob Gill Gaudaur on Oct. 5, 1920 in Orillia, Ont., he spent time in the CFL as a player, executive and commissioner, a career spanning more than 40 years.
"He was a very modest man so he never spoke of his accomplishments," said Diane Gaudaur. "He was a very quiet man, very humble.
Miss Grey Cup, Renata Pikelis, Tiger Cat President Jake Gaudaur, left, and Hamilton Mayor Lloyd Jackson, right, watch as Prime Minister John Diefenbaker makes a kickoff at CNE Stadium at the 1962 Grey Cup. (Boris Spremo/The Globe and Mail)
"He was certainly proud of his involvement with the CFL at all levels, even back to the early days."
He played for the Hamilton Tigers (1940-1941, 1948-1949), Toronto Argonauts (1941), Toronto RCAF Hurricanes (1942), Toronto Indians (of the Ontario Rugby Football Union, 1945-'46), Montreal Alouettes (1947), Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1950-1951, 1953). He won Grey Cups as a player with the Hurricanes as well as his final season with the Ticats in '53.
He served as a director with the Ticats in '52 and was the club's president and general manager from 1956 to '67.
Gaudaur, who served as a pilot in the Second World War, was named CFL commissioner in 1968 and served in that capacity until 1984. It was under Gaudaur's direction that the CFL enjoyed rapid growth. He negotiated a landmark television deal for the league prior to his retirement.
Gaudaur was inducted into both the Toronto Argonauts and Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1984 and was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1985.
Gaudaur is also a member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
