- Nominations
- Inductees
- Alexander, Lisa
- Attard, Larry
- Bailey, Angela
- Balding, Al
- Bard, Alex
- Biggar, Howard
- Borthwick, Gayle
- Boyd, Mabel
- Brenneman, John
- Brown, David
- Brown, Louise
- Brydson, Gordon
- Carver-Dias, Claire
- Chambers, Carlton
- Christie, Marc
- Clare, Lou
- Clark, Karen
- Coffey, Paul
- Distelmeyer, Wallace
- Doty, Fred
- Dudley, Rick
- Ealey, Chuck
- Edwards, Dwight
- Eisele, Sylvia
- Fee, Earl
- Finlay, Matt
- Forshaw, Sheila
- Gilbert, Greg
- Gray, Gerry
- Greenwood, Jill
- Gurowka, Joe
- Hamilton, Stu
- Harris, Susan
- Hattin, Heather
- Hawley, Sandy
- Henderson, Paul
- Hibbert, Curtis
- Hicken, Blair
- Hickox, Mac
- Hinds, Sterling
- Hollett, Frank W.
- Homer-Dixon, Marjorie
- Hughes, Gord
- Kelly, Bob
- Kern, Ben
- Kerr, Jane
- Laumann, Danielle
- Laumann, Silken
- Lay, Jeff
- Loek, Fred
- Love, Jerry
- Martin, Peter
- Marland, Robert
- McCallion, Hazel
- McClintock, Joel
- McClintock-Messer, Judy
- McFater, Al
- McKenzie, Merv
- McQuaker, Charles (Red)
- Morris, Ted
- Oldershaw, Bert
- Oldershaw, Dean
- Oldershaw, Reed
- Oughtred, Wally
- Owoc Chennette, Andrea
- Pallett, Howard
- Paterson, Charlie
- Patey, Larry
- Plaxton, Hugh
- Pogue, Jim
- Poulin, Dave
- Preston, Karen
- Primeau, Joe
- Reddon, Lesley
- Riddell, Sam
- Rider, Fran
- Roach-Leuszler, Winnie
- Ross, Bill
- Ryder, Gus
- Samuel, Ernest
- Serwetnyk, Carrie
- Sicinski, Bob
- Smylie, Doug
- Stanfield, Fred
- Stanfield, Gord
- Stewart-Pellett, Ellen
- Tanti, Tony
- Toth, Mike
- Umeh, Stella
- Van Kiekebelt, Debbie
- Volpe, Nick
- Waites, Al
- Wilson, Bruce
- Wirkowski, Nobby
- Wood, Art
- Wood, John
- Young, Mike
|
|
|
|
Name:
WIRKOWSKI, Nobby
Sport:
Football
|
|
|
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
|
Jim Thorpe is remembered as the greatest all-round athlete of all times, a jack-of-all-trades equally impressive on the running track, football field or the baseball diamond. Wayne Gretzky will be enshrined in hockey history as the Great One, dazzling friends, foes and fans year in and year out in one of the toughest leagues of any sports, anywhere. Nobby Wirkowski? His ticket to fame is much more a one-shot affair — he was the man who quarterbacked the Toronto Argonauts to the Grey Cup in 1952, the last time the Boatmen sipped the sweet nectar of success out of Canada’s most coveted football silverware until their next victory 31 years later in 1983. The pass from Wirkowski to receiver Zeke O'Connor, that clinched the 1952 triumph for Toronto, grew to legendary proportions in the minds of long-suffering Double Blue fans over the years of the drought. Even though the Grey Cup stands out as the zenith of the football career of his long-time Mississauga resident, Nobby Wirkowski has much more to his name in credits. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Wirkowski received his football education in the United States. Prior to his professional football career, he was a member of the Miami (Ohio) team that edged Texas Tech 13-12 capturing the Sun Bowl in 1948. Three years later, he celebrated another success with the Salad Bowl (later re-named Fiesta Bowl) championship team. In defeating Arizona State, he established a Bowl record by completing 18 of 21 passes. |
His professional career brought him to the Canadian Football League when he signed with the Argos in 1951, setting the stage for the Grey Cup a year later. He remained with the Argos through the 1954 season before being traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for 1955 and '56. His final playing seasons were with the Calgary Stampeders from 1957 to ’59. Following his playing career, Wirkowski turned his attention to coaching, spending two years first as an assistant coach with the Argonauts in 1960 and ’61, then taking over on September 1, 1962 as head coach. He remained in that post until 1964. From 1966 to 1968, Wirkowski was the director of player personnel for the Argos. After an impressive stretch in the professional ranks of the sport, Wirkowski returned to the university gridiron. He became athletic director at York University in 1968 and was also head coach of the York Yoemen from 1968 to 1974. He also played a key role over the years in Vanier Cup, emblematic of the Canadian university championship. On the home front in Mississauga, he was appointed by city council as first Chairman of the Mississauga Sports Council in 1983. Wirkowski’s achievements were recognized when he was inducted in the Mississauga Sports Hall of Fame for 1976. He and his family continue to live in Mississauga. |
|
|
