Manager, athlete, community activist.
Born at Winnipeg around 1927, son of William Frederick Hobson (c1892-1966) and Ethel Ross (c1897-1968), he attended Lord Roberts School and was the captain of the school’s Winnipeg Schools Soccer league team in 1940. At Kelvin High School he was a member of the school’s football team, after which he played junior football for Fort Rouge Rods and Weston Wildcats prior to becoming a minor and professional football coach.
His coaching career included 10 years at the Fort Garry Lions Football Club, with the midget squad (1958) and juvenile squad (1959-1968). He posted a staggering record of 99-9-4. He won six provincial champions (including 1960, 1961, and 1965) and three national championships (including 1961, 1965, 1967), as well as seeing several second place finishes provincially (including 1962, 1964, 1966), and nationally (1963). He also coached the Winnipeg Rods in the junior Football League (1969).
He served on the Fort Garry Parks Board (1963-1965, 1965 Chairman) and was Councillor (1967-1971), Acting Deputy Mayor (1970) and Acting Mayor (1971) of Fort Garry. He was also member of the Police Commission and worked for the Manitoba Telephone System for 26 years. He joined the Winnipeg Football Club (Winnipeg Blue Bombers) in 1967 as their Minor League Coordinator / Player Development Coordinator (1967-1969) and Assistant General Manager (1969-1974) for the Canadian Football League team. In 1971, he “won” the clubs own Golden Foot in the Mouth Award.
He and his wife, Zella, had three children. In April 1974, he relocated Calgary, Alberta where he became General Manager of the Calgary Stampeders Football Club. He suffered a heart attack at his Calgary home and died in a local hospital on 13 September 1976. He is commemorated by the Gary Hobson Memorial Park in Winnipeg.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Gary Hobson Memorial Park (880 Oakenwald Avenue, Winnipeg)
Marriage registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Champions from the schools,” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 November 1940, page 15.
“Junior title at stake in Calgary,” Winnipeg Free Press, 1 November 1946, page 14.
“James heads Lion’s executive,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 july 1961, page 18.
“Football workout,” Winnipeg Free Press, 9 June 1962, page 60.
“Residents win Fort Garry zoning fight,” Winnipeg Free Press, 16 April 1963, page 3.
Obituary [William F. Hobson], Winnipeg Free Press, 7 January 1966, page 28.
“Greater Winnipeg council, school election results,” Winnipeg Free Press, 27 October 1966, page 12.
“Bombers strengthen ties with minors,” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 May 1967, page 63.
“You can’t beat winning: ask Fort Garry’s Hobson,” Winnipeg Free Press, 21 September 1968, page 58.
Obituary [Ethel Hobson], Winnipeg Free Press, 9 October 1968, page 35.
“Football heading your way,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 September 1969, page 62.
“Mayor, 3 Councillors of Fort Garry sworn in,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 Jan 1970, page 3.
“Fort Garry to give welfare payments to young adults,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 March 1971, page 1.
“Water Rescue Patrol set up in Fort Garry,” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 August 1971, page 2.
“Don’t let those Stamp stories throw you,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 November 1971, page 30.
“Gary Hobson dies after heart attack,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 September 1976, page 1.
“Calgary Stampeder GM Gary Hobson dead at 49,” Ottawa Journal, 14 September 1976, page 18.
“The dream will never be fulfilled for Hobson,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 September 1976, page 27.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 15 September 1976, page 49.
Canadian voter lists, Ancestry.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 17 October 2014
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