Jacob Gill "Jake" Gaudaur (Jr.) (1920-) Inducted 1988

Jake", the son of Jacob Gill Gaudaur, a world professional rowing champion, was born in Orillia and is proud of his unusual tri-cultural background. He had been directly involved in sports from high school days at Orillia Collegiate to the present. He served as a pilot in the R.C.A.F., 1942-45, and, exclusive of the war years, played professional football from 1940 through 1953. He was President and General Manager of the Hamilton Tiger Cats from 1954 to 1967, during which time they won 9 Eastern Conference titles and 4 Canadian championships.

"Jake" was Commissioner of the Canadian Football League from 1968 to 1984 and did much in the founding of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum. During his term, he was instrumental in keeping the C.F.L. a Canadian entity, in opposing American influence and encroachment, by seeing that the League stuck to Canadian rules and regulations. He assumed permanent chairmanship of the Player Pension Plan Advisory Board, the Management Council, the Rules Committee and other offices and duties pertaining to the C.F.L. He was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1984, and was named an Officer in the Order of Canada in 1985. Under his aegis as Commissioner, he had a great deal to do with placing the C.F.L. on a firmer financial footing with regard to radio and television rights and contracts. He had much to do with making the Grey Cup Game Canada's number one event in sports.

"Jake" is a strong believer that professional sport should use its high visibility to support charitable and fitness causes and annually authorized the use of non-commercial messages in C.F.L. game telecasts at no cost, to support such charitable causes. He is, and has been, always ready and willing to come back to his home town, Orillia, for speaking engagements and public causes, and Orillia is grateful.