Former Maple Leaf forward, CFL Grey Cup winner Gerry James dies at 89
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced the death of team alumnus Gerry James, who passed away on Feb. 13 in Parksville, B.C. He was 89.
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Leafs Alumni Gerry James.
Gerry had the unique distinction of playing in the CFL while also being a member of the Maple Leafs. He played for the Leafs over five seasons and had a 13-year CFL career, appearing in six Grey Cup finals… pic.twitter.com/l8A0VyHvv2
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) February 21, 2024
James, who played 149 games for the Maple Leafs between 1954 and 1960, scored 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points through his career. During this time, James was also a running back in the Canadian Football League, winning four Grey Cup championships with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers between 1952 and 1962, while also playing one season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1964.
He is the youngest person to ever play in the CFL, first suiting up for the Blue Bombers at age 17. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1981, joining his father Eddie, who was inducted in 1963.
He holds the distinction of being the only person to appear in both a Grey Cup Final and a Stanley Cup Final in the same season, doing so in 1959-60.
While playing junior hockey, James would win the 1955 Memorial Cup with the Toronto Marlboros, just a few months after being named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian. A few days after winning the Memorial Cup, he would play his first career NHL game with the Maple Leafs, capping off a fifth-month series of multi-spot achievements.
On Nov. 30, 1957, one day after being named the Most Outstanding Canadian for the second time, he and the Blue Bombers would play in the Grey Cup, losing 32-7 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Later that night, he would suit up for the Maple Leafs and play in his first game of the 1957-58 NHL season.
"Gerry James was a two-sport star during his playing days and his skill, his grit and his toughness were trademarks of those legendary Bud Grant-coached teams of the late 1950s and early 1960s."
📝 » https://t.co/KgVkiy3qDv pic.twitter.com/kX51Re8GxR
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) February 15, 2024
James led the CFL in scoring in 1957 and held the record for most rushing touchdowns in one season for 43 years.
James would play his last season of professional hockey in 1960-61 with the Winnipeg Warriors of the now-defunct Western Hockey League. A few years later, he would play senior hockey in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), then coach eight seasons in the league.