Albert George "Ab" Box (March 8, 1909 – July 30, 2000) was a Canadian professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

halfback,

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

and punter. Born in Toronto, Box attended

Malvern Collegiate Institute Malvern Collegiate Institute (Malvern CI, MCI or Malvern), previously known as East Toronto High School and Malvern High School is a high school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada part of the Toronto District School Board. Prior to 1998, it was ...

where he played on the football team and later on the Malvern Grads junior team from 1928-1929 under coach Ted Reeve. Box then moved to the senior

Ontario Rugby Football Union The Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) was an early amateur Canadian football league comprising teams in the Canadian province of Ontario. The ORFU was founded on Saturday, January 6, 1883, and in 1903 it became the first major competition to ado ...

, again playing under Reeve with the Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers from 1930-1931, winning the

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

in 1930. Box then played three seasons with the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

, winning another Grey Cup in 1933 and being voted the Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy winner as the most valuable player for 1934. He returned to Balmy Beach in 1935 and played another four years there. Box also played on championship baseball and softball teams. He has been inducted into the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, ...

(1965) and

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and mu ...

(1975). A sportswriter for the Toronto Telegram from 1932-35, Box was known not only for his incredible athletic ability but also for his superb sportsmanship. After his retirement, he worked as a salesman during the winter and operated South Lake Lodge near Minden Ontario during the summer. Box died in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

at age 91.

References

External links

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame profile
1909 births 2000 deaths Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Canadian football punters Canadian football quarterbacks Canadian football running backs Ontario Rugby Football Union players Players of Canadian football from Ontario Canadian football people from Toronto Toronto Argonauts players Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers players {{Canadianfootball-quarterback-stub