CFL Commissioner Tom Wright is one of the busiest men in Canada, what with the recent sale of the Argos, the league playoffs in full swing, and the Grey Cup looming larger than an oncoming sixteen-wheeler. Despite it all, he still found time to reminisce and talk football with the Varsity.
“I have a lot of fond memories of U of T,” recalled Wright, who attended the faculty of phys-ed here back in the mid-70s. I remember going down to the cafeteria at Hart House for coffee all the time.”
The commissioner described his four years on campus as a stressful, yet positive experience. “In the faculty of phys-ed you have to take sciences and all sorts of classes. They helped me develop time-management skills and they taught me to have some fun and enjoy life.”
Wright has been an avid sports fan and athlete throughout his life. “I have always loved football and played on teams in high school and university,” he said. “I played touch football for a good 15 years after I finished university. All this helped me to understand and appreciate the game.” The game that now eats up all of his time.
Ironically, he never made the Blues football team. Instead, Wright played varsity rugby. “I especially enjoyed playing York,” he said. “They were definitely the powerhouse team at the time.”
There were also many nights where the commissioner could be found taking in a Blues hockey game at Varsity Arena, or where he could be found on the gridiron in intramural action. Wright played for the faculty of phys-ed against the other faculties and colleges on campus for the chance to hoist the prestigious Mulock Cup.*
“There are lots of memories of playing in the Mulock Cup against St. Mike’s,” Wright said. “They would always want to beat you, and beat you up.”
Tom Wright has kept himself extremely busy since receiving his honours degree in phys-ed at U of T. He went on to earn his M.BA. from York after his graduation.
Despite the cross-town schooling, there are no misplaced allegiances for Wright. “I spent more time-four years-at U of T than I did at York. I consider myself a good alumnus.”
His two different degrees fulfilled two very separate needs and desires. “Phys-ed is physically competitive and business is more mentally and financially competitive. I have always liked sports and I have always liked business and the business side of sports. I have been able to marry both degrees in a sense by working in sports management and as the CFL commisioner.”
Indeed, his various jobs since finishing his second degree have merged his interest in sports with his interest in business. Wright worked for Spalding for a time, before becoming president of Adidas Canada in 1988. He held the job for 13 years.
Working at Adidas helped prepare Wright for his current post as CFL head honcho. “At Adidas I was president and had to run the company, much like what I do with the CFL. The CFL is also a business that must be run and managed.”
In November 2002, Wright was named the 11th commissioner in CFL history. He took over from the highly opinionated Michael Lysko, who was fired for criticizing former Argos owner Sherwood Schwartz.
“I don’t think there is an average day on the job for me,” commented the commissioner. “I spend a lot of time with each of the nine clubs, I spend time with sponsors, I spend time meeting with the government that supports the league, and I spend time with the media conducting interviews. The variety makes the job interesting-there is certainly no set routine.”
From there the conversation turned back to football. New owners in Hamilton and Toronto are the recent successes of the CFL. Wright is thrilled to have Bob Young aboard in Hamilton and Dave Cynamon and Howard Sokolowski take the helm of the Argonaut ship.
“Young is a great fan of the Ti-cats, as he grew up in Ancaster, and loves the city and the team,” Wright said. “The new Toronto owners are very passionate and will make the game attractive and fun for the fans.”
With that said, the Grey Cup, pinnacle of CFL excitement, took over Wright’s thoughts. The game is this Sunday, Nov. 16, in Regina.
“All the games have been exciting so far,” said Wright about the playoffs to date. “Toronto is a wonderful Cinderella story, going through a lot of adversity and having success under duress.” On Sunday night, the Argos lost to the Montreal Alouettes in the semi-finals, 30-26.
Wright continued with his playoff analysis. Although he thought that the Saskatchewan Roughriders had a good chance to actually play for the Grey Cup at home, “the Edmonton Eskimos have made the playoffs for the 32nd year in a row, which is a pro record. They have such a great tradition of success.” Edminton beat out Sasketchewan 30-23 on Sunday night.
As the conversation neared its conclusion, Wright looked towards the future. He emphasized the value of university football in this country.
“College, CIS, and amateur football are important to the strength of the league,” he said. “They are the future of fans, players, trainers, and coaches. University football hooks students on the game and they go on to careers in the CFL.”
As a last thought, Wright added that he would be in favour of the Argos and Blues sharing a stadium-if the opportunity arose. “It is a great idea if it works down the road. It happens at the McGill stadium in Montreal, it works in Calgary, and we might see that happen at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton. I would be in favour of that.”
*The Mulock Cup was awarded to the intramural tackle football champions until 1993, when that league ended. It has been re-dedicated to the rugby league.
