- Annis Stukus
Annis Paul Stukus (
October 25 1914 –May 20 2006 ) was aCanadian football player, coach and general manager, and hockey general manager.Stukus was born in
Toronto . He played for theToronto Argonauts from 1935 to 1941, leading the team toGrey Cup victories in 1937 and 1938. He then played for the Oakwood Indians (1942), Balmy Beach (1943), HMCS York Bulldogs (1944) and the Toronto Indians (1945, 1946), all Toronto-based teams.Stukus was a consultant to the
Toronto Huskies basketball team in its one season of operations in 1946-47.In 1949, he helped organize the
Edmonton Eskimos ' reentry into theWestern Interprovincial Football Union and served as their head coach for three seasons. In 1953, he turned his services to the expansionB.C. Lions , serving as head coach and general manager.In 1967, he was general manager of the
Vancouver Canucks of the minor pro Western Hockey League. In 1971, Stukus became general manager of theWinnipeg Jets of theWorld Hockey Association and signedBobby Hull to 10-year contract, with an unprecedented $1 million signing bonus. In 1974, he worked in the front office of the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer team.The CFL's annual award for coach of the year is named in his honor. He was elected into the
Canadian Football Hall of Fame and theCanadian Sports Hall of Fame .He died at his home in
Canmore, Alberta at age 91.References
* [http://www.argonauts.ca/Argos/History/HallOfFame/Annis_Stukus.html Toronto Argonauts Hall of Famers]
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