Born May 24, 1900 – Died May 26, 1954
Class of 1963
Conacher was nicknamed “The Big Train” as well as earning the rare distinction of Canada’s top all-around athlete of the half-century, covering the period from 1900-1950.
He was a noted star in Ice hockey, lacrosse, baseball, boxing, lacrosse as well as Canadian Football. In his post-playing days, he turned to politics and earned election to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and later the Canadian House of Commons. Perhaps his competitive spirit was the result of being part of a family of ten children. He was compelled to forego any education beyond the eighth grade because he was better able to help support his family by finding work in his teen years. His affinity for sports
was something he soon discovered that might also help lift his family out of poverty.
In his Football career, he also displayed a rare versatility, playing halfback and handling the kicking duties for the Toronto Capitals (ORFU), Toronto Rugby Union and the Toronto Argonauts.
Perhaps the greatest achievement of his football career was his MVP performance in the 1921 Grey Cup game, where he scored 15 points in the Argos 23-0 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos.
There is a further testament in that game’s story that amplifies Conacher’s talent and commitment. With the game seemingly well in hand for Toronto, Conacher left the field at the beginning of the fourth quarter, in order to play hockey with his Toronto Aura Lee team.
That’s a stunning sidebar to the recap of the first ever Grey Cup contested between a teams from Eastern and Western Canada.
He only played two years with the Argos, but helped them to a remarkable 15-1-1 record. He is the record book for recording 33 singles in a season, at a time when teams only played six games. Despite the modern-day expanded schedule, he still holds this mark.
While excelling in football, he developed his athletic skills to the point where he was a professional in four other sports. This eventually precluded continued participation in Canadian Football, which at that time, was still an exclusively amateur domain.
Undeterred, Conacher set out to organize what would become the first professional football league in the country. He played for Toronto Crosse and Blackwell Chefs in 1933. In 1934, his last year as a football player, he played for the Wrigkey Aromints.
Almost fittingly, he passed away in the aftermath of a heart attack that he suffered after legging out a triple in a softball game, played between MPs and members of the Parliamentary press gallery. .
He is also enshrined in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and the Hockey Hall of Fame.