By Jack Morrow
Acknowledgements: University of Alberta Library; Keith Hart
Prior to 1936, senior football teams in the Western Provinces played in their own provincial leagues; playoffs were then held among the provincial champions in order to determine the Western championship. The Western Interprovincial Football Union began play in 1936 with three teams: Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Regina Roughriders, and Calgary Bronks.
The Edmonton Eskimos joined the WIFU in 1938, but escalating costs led the team to disband the day before their final scheduled game in 1939. The Bronks were replaced after the 1940 season by a new team from Vancouver, known as the Grizzlies.
The opening game of the 1941 WIFU season was scheduled for Friday, September 5th. Shortly before, a number of Edmonton football boosters had decided to attempt a revival of the Eskimos. Although it was too late to enter an Edmonton team in the WIFU in time for the 1941 season, it was possible to win the championship of the Alberta Rugby Football Union (the league had been dormant since the founding of the WIFU, but still officially existed), and then to challenge the WIFU champions for the Western football championship and the right to go to Toronto and play for the Grey Cup. The only historical records that exist of the 1941 Eskimos are contained in newspaper articles and columns, mainly The Edmonton Journal and Edmonton Bulletin.
On Tuesday, August 26th, Alberta Rugby Union President Cy Burchell announced that he had received a challenge on behalf of a senior team from Edmonton, and that he had accepted the challenge.
According to Jack Kelly in the Edmonton Bulletin, the group behind the challenge consisted of
“Bob Fritz, Steve Olander, Tommy Hays, Ernie Stevens, Archie Ritchie, Paul Kirk, Jimmy Dear, Percy Daigle, Stu Hart, Ab Newsome and a few others…‘We figure that we can field a team fully as strong as the outfit Regina is entering in the conference without having to import or pay a single player,’ points out Tommy Hays. ‘We can get all the equipment we need from the Junior league. If Calgary can scare up a senior club, we’ll play them for the Alberta title. If they can’t, we’ll claim the title by default and demand a playoff with the conference champions for the Western Canada title.’”
Ken McConnell mentioned in the Journal on August 27th that the team was hoping to host at least one exhibition game against each of the other WIFU clubs.
McConnell was quite enthusiastic about the team’s prospects:
“We could, for instance, have Archie Ritchie at centre, Stu Hart, Bill Persek, Tommy Hays, Nap Tercier and Frank Meskin, guards; Gordon Rayner, Don Olive, Doug Fraser and Joe Cherniowski, tackles…And then, at the ends, could be Bob Freeze, former Calgary Bronk who played so well for the University of Alberta last fall, Paul Kirk, Don Connell, Vernon Lawrence, and another ex-Calgarian, Gobo Gilkes. What about Ernie Stevens at quarter?…How about Ab Newsome as his understudy?…Then Percy Daigle, ex-Blue Bomber; Joe Turner, ex-Calgary Bronk; Bob Fritz, Steve Olander, Don Johnson, and Normie McCallum, could fill up the backfield…And they would leave little to be desired…There is still another ace in the hole…There are several American football stars in training with the Royal Canadian Air Force here…According to the dope they are anxious, extremely hopeful, of the senior football squad being formed…Let there be no further doubt…The challenge has been accepted…The senior team will be formed…Plenty of action is assured.”
Little was heard of the team for several weeks, and the idea seemed to have fallen through. McConnell, in the September 17th Edmonton Journal, said that a different plan for the team had come about:
“The idea was to get together a senior club here. However there does not seem to be much chance of the team ever being organized now…There is a good chance, however, that a senior club will be named here for one game…Their opponents will be members of the RCAF, and it will be a game in which all the proceeds will be turned over to the Airmen.”
Just when it appeared as though all was lost, Coach Fritz led 14 men through their first workout at Clarke Stadium at 10:30 A.M. on Sunday, September 21st. According to the Calgary Albertan, “among those practising were Fritz, Daigle and Olander, all formerly of Winnipeg, Freeze of Calgary and Stevens.” Although Hart had been previously mentioned as one of the players expected to be with the team, it appears as though other commitments prevented him from joining the Eskimos in 1941. Future workouts were scheduled for weekday evenings at 7:00 P.M. at Clarke Stadium whenever a game was not being played there.
Good news for the Eskimos and their supporters was reported in the Albertan on Monday, September 29th:
“Challenge of an Edmonton team for the prairie senior rugby title has been accepted by the Western Interprovincial Union, it was announced here Sunday and the Alberta club will be invited to play the Union’s second-place team in the final standing. A sudden-death game at Edmonton November 1 is suggested if satisfactory arrangements can be made.
All playoff details were completed by the union’s executive at a weekend meeting in Regina. The team finishing in top place gets a bye into the two-out-of-three final, first game to be played at Edmonton or the home of the second-place winners and the next two on the home grounds of the top club. If Edmonton does not enter the play-offs, first and second place teams will meet for the Western title.
Coach Bob Fritz and the members of the Edmonton Eskimos were jubilant when they received word their challenge was accepted. Bob immediately issued a call for a full turn-out of all candidates for team positions at a practice in Clarke Stadium at 7:00 P.M. tonight.”
McConnell continued to wax enthusiastic in the Edmonton Journal:
“More than a month ago we suggested that Edmonton might have a challenger for the western senior grid championship…Others expressed grave doubt about this…But now there is no longer any doubt about it…Coach Bob Fritz and his men can start right now preparing for a rugby thriller which will be presented here on Nov. 1…The Edmonton team has been working out for more than a month now…The boys should be fully prepared for the job of meeting–and beating–the second place club in the Western Interprovincial Rugby Football Union…It will be probably the Regina Roughriders…Well, who cares?
Fritz never looked better…Steve Olander, Percy Daigle, Archie Ritchie, Ab Newsome and others will add plenty to the club…Bob Freeze, Gordon Rayner, Vernon Lawrence, Joe Cherniowski and Ernie Stevens have all been working out regularly…Joe Turner, here with the RCAF, may be induced to come out…And there are reported to be several ex-American college stars now in the city with the RCAF…The only possible trouble might be cold weather…If a vigorous ticket-selling campaign is launched now there would be no worries later on…It is a game that should sell itself…Because the seniors here believe they can, with any luck, beat any club in the western conference…If they do–won’t that be something?…Everyone would want to sit in on that game.”
Unfortunately, the Eskimos’ season ended suddenly on Thursday, October 9, with an announcement from the WIFU. McConnell reported the bad news in Friday’s Journal:
“There will be no Edmonton senior football game this year. Not with the blessing of the Western Interprovincial Rugby Football Union anyway. That was determined on Thursday following the arrival here of the WIRFU’s final terms…M.I. Lieberman, K.C., vice-president of the Western Union and prominent city barrister, opened negotiations. Back came the first dampening letter from the Union.
For this game, the Union demanded that Edmonton post a $1,200 guarantee and demanded half of the gross gate. Meaning that after the $1,200 was deducted; the Union team would share equally in the surplus Edmonton gate, if any.
Tommy Hays, one of those instrumental in organizing the seniors here, met with his men and Mr. Lieberman and it was agreed the guarantee was too high.
“We then offered to play in Regina–assuming the Rough Riders (sic) would be the second-place team–and asked only $800 as a guarantee,” explained Mr. Hays. “We did not want any cut of their gate. We simply asked for bare expenses, $800. And finally, we offered them a set guarantee of $1,100 for a game here. But both our propositions were turned down. They demand that we accept their terms or there will not be any game. So we are disbanding today.”
Mr. Lieberman today is writing Union officials definitely calling off the game. It might have paved the way for an early return of Edmonton to senior football.
“We recognize the difficulties the Union teams have in financing,” pointed out Mr. Hays. “But we were operating on a shoe-string and our one hope was to revive interest in senior football. We had the necessary material, the equipment and there was every reason to believe that Coach Bob Fritz would come up with a good club.
“All of the players were going into this thing on their own,” continued Tommy. “Nobody expected to or wanted a cent. The Edmonton Junior league was going to help out with the equipment.
“In the presentation of a game like this there is quite a gamble to be faced. For instance, we would have to pay for the park, advertising, and a flock of other incidentals, which must be faced. It would have cost nearly $1,500. If it is Regina that finishes second in the Union standings then I am sure they could have accepted our offer and a visit here at this time by a Union team would help tremendously in the sponsoring of senior football in Edmonton.”
McConnell, the Eskimos’ most enthusiastic booster among the sportswriters, was also the most disappointed at the result:
“Western football moguls have a lot of fun and occasionally take themselves pretty seriously…That is today they are happy and full of sunshine…Tomorrow they are scheming a scheme to win something from their neighbour…Joe Ryan pulls the strings for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and he has been an excellent string puller for several years…Dean Griffing occupies a similar position for the Regina Rough Riders (sic)…He has gained a lot of yardage in the committee room too…Out Vancouver way the field is practically left to Greg Kabat…The coast gridders are, at the moment, like Babes in the Woods…But any day now they’ll come up with a head-hunter.
So you can visualize the Western Interprovincial Rugby Football Union big-wigs sitting down and toying with the challenge from Edmonton…Somebody must have mentioned catching a train…Sure they would play Edmonton…November 1 was good enough…And make the guarantee $1,200…That ended that.
Not having any team in the union and therefore no representation on the board, the dukes of western football easily out-paced us on this challenge business…They reasoned, no doubt, that a game with Edmonton would be all right…Why certainly and they hoped that Edmonton would have a good team…It would be a good thing for the Union, too, they probably reasoned…But then what about making a few bucks out of the thing?…Edmonton was fair game…Here was a chance to pick up some extra money…Very well then, the guarantee would be $1,200 and half of the gross gate…So the boys were off to their homes…Edmonton could take it or leave it.
Gentlemen, they have left it with the Union…We don’t suggest that the Union will be greatly disturbed by this decision…Probably they are just as glad, because it would have been awful if Edmonton’s rag-tags of the local football conference had won…It would have been a laugh, at that.”
The Edmontonians are, as a matter of fact, slightly relieved…They did offer the WIRFU $1,100 for a single game here on November 1st… They were prepared to launch a terrific ticket-selling drive…They were hoping to obtain sufficient money to make the guarantee in advance…Then, they reasoned, there would be no worry over the weather…The game would be played regardless…And every one would be satisfied…Except possibly the customer who might have to sit in the stand on a right chilly day…The Edmontonians also faced the necessity of raising an additional $200 or maybe $300 as the game’s promotional costs…In these times it is particularly difficult obtaining sums like that…Even for a game such as this.
So who is delighted?…Who is well satisfied?…Of course the rugby dukes are and should be, no doubt…But the Edmontonians most concerned with the staging of the game are also delighted…They can look forward to a quiet winter. An enjoyable fall…They were ready to go through with their part of the deal, of course. But the WIRFU solved their problem. And very nicely, too, thanks.”
Thus ended the season for the Edmonton Eskimos of 1941. As for the WIFU that year, the Blue Bombers finished first, defeated Regina two games to one for their fifth consecutive Western title, and edged the Ottawa Rough Riders 18-16 in Toronto to win the Grey Cup for the second time in three years.
Jack Kelly’s prediction of greatness for the Vancouver Grizzlies proved to be overly optimistic. They won just one of their eight games, the poor performance of the team, plus rainy weather for the home games, kept attendance low.
The increasing pace of World War II forced the WIFU to suspend operations for the next three seasons, and when the league resumed play in 1945; neither Vancouver nor Edmonton was represented. Winnipeg and the Roughriders were back, along with a new Calgary team known as the Stampeders.
The Eskimos rejoined the senior football ranks for good in 1949; none of the players from the 1941 squad was still around by then. The British Columbia Lions joined the league in 1954, and the WIFU eventually became the Western Division of the Canadian Football League.
Would the Eskimos have won a championship in 1941 if they had been able to play? In a sudden-death semifinal at home, they might have had a chance against the Roughriders, especially if they’d been able to add some of the RCAF Servicemen to their lineup. However, it’s highly unlikely that they would have been able to give Winnipeg much of a battle in the Western final, especially since Winnipeg would have played host to the deciding game(s). The Eskimos raw enthusiasm would hardly have been a match for the Blue Bombers superior talent and experience.
Although the 1941 Eskimos have been completely overlooked in the history books, they did have their distinctions: they were (if only by default) the Alberta football champions of that season; and they were the last truly amateur Eskimo team.