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| Doug Mitchell had a long career in Canadian football, including a stint as commissioner of the Canadian Football League from 1984 to 1988. Source: https://www.alberta.ca/aoe-doug-mitchell.aspx (May be subject to copyright) |
He was always there at the end of the season, after the gun sounded to end the Grey Cup. There he stood, clutching the trophy emblematic of the Canadian Football League championship, presenting it to the captains of the winning team.
He was Doug Mitchell, commissioner of the Canadian Football League from 1984 to 1988, where he presented the trophy to some of the best teams of the decade. And helped save the league
When I started this post, he was recently inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and it reminded me of those Grey Cups in the 1980s. He also is the first member of the Hall of Fame I met in person.
Before I was able to finish the post, Doug Mitchell passed away on July 20 at the age of 83, so this is a tribute as much as a reflection.
Before I was able to finish the post, Doug Mitchell passed away on July 20 at the age of 83, so this is a tribute as much as a reflection.
The years before
When I started watching football, the commissioner of the CFL was Jake Gaudaur, who was this majestic figure that symbolized Canadian football. To me, he was most prominent in presenting the Grey Cup to the Edmonton Eskimos who won five straight Grey Cups from 1978 to 1982.
When I started watching football, the commissioner of the CFL was Jake Gaudaur, who was this majestic figure that symbolized Canadian football. To me, he was most prominent in presenting the Grey Cup to the Edmonton Eskimos who won five straight Grey Cups from 1978 to 1982.
And, it was Gaudaur’s name that was imprinted on the first ever Canadian football – and the second – that my mom gave me for Christmas.
When he retired, I was still pretty new to the game, so I really knew nothing about Doug Mitchell, other then he was now the head of the CFL.
Football pedigree
Doug Mitchell had a lengthy career in football before becoming commissioner, and long after he left the job in 1988.
Doug Mitchell had a lengthy career in football before becoming commissioner, and long after he left the job in 1988.
Mitchell grew up in Calgary where he played high school football for Crescent Heights before going on to post-secondary studies at Colorado College and the University of British Columbia where he played for the Thunderbirds. He also went on to play three games for the B.C. Lions in 1960.
He graduated with a law degree from UBC in 1962 and went on to have a distinguished career in law.
Mitchell also help rebuild the Canadian Olympic hockey program, and sat on the National Hockey League Board of Governors, before turning his attention to the Canadian Football League.
Yes, commissioner
Doug Mitchell was appointed commissioner of the CFL in 1984, serving in that role until 1988. He would preside over some tumultuous times, but helped save the league by introducing a salary cap. The cap created an even playing field for all teams, reined in spending by some teams, and gave the league a stable financial framework. The league still operates with a salary cap.
Doug Mitchell was appointed commissioner of the CFL in 1984, serving in that role until 1988. He would preside over some tumultuous times, but helped save the league by introducing a salary cap. The cap created an even playing field for all teams, reined in spending by some teams, and gave the league a stable financial framework. The league still operates with a salary cap.
After leaving the office, Mitchell would eventually become part of an ownership group of the Calgary Stampeders and serve on the CFL board of governors as of 2011.
For all his efforts, he received several honours. He was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1999; the Order of Canada in 2004; the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2007; Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2019; and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2021. The Mitchell Bowl, one of the national university football semi-finals for the Vanier Cup, is also named in his honour.
Parting thoughts
Doug Mitchell is the first CFL Hall of Famer I ever met in person. It was not as a headliner, but as a plus one. His wife is Lois Mitchell, who was the lieutenant-governor of Alberta, when they were in Claresholm, attending an event at the museum.
Doug Mitchell is the first CFL Hall of Famer I ever met in person. It was not as a headliner, but as a plus one. His wife is Lois Mitchell, who was the lieutenant-governor of Alberta, when they were in Claresholm, attending an event at the museum.
I was able to meet and interview her afterwards. Her husband Doug was with her and they actually talked to me together. Once the interview was over, I shook Mitchell’s hand and told him how much I remembered him, what an honour it was to meet him, and thanked him for what he did for the CFL. He was very gracious.
The best part was a conversation I heard him having with some of the lieutenant-governor’s staff. The Stampeders were playing that day, and he was trying to find out the score. So, he went into the bathroom of the exhibit hall to get some privacy – and maybe better Internet reception.
The best part was a conversation I heard him having with some of the lieutenant-governor’s staff. The Stampeders were playing that day, and he was trying to find out the score. So, he went into the bathroom of the exhibit hall to get some privacy – and maybe better Internet reception.
Football meant a lot to the man.
So long, commissioner and rest in peace, you have certainly earned it.
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