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Eric Cradock (died October 5, 1985) was a Canadian stockbroker and sports entrepreneur who played a key role in
Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...
development in the 1940s and 1950s. Toronto-born Cradock worked in mining and stocks, and was reputed to have become a millionaire in his early 20s. Along with Lew Hayman and Léo Dandurand, Cradock co-founded the original
Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...
in 1946. The team quickly gained respectability, winning the Grey Cup in 1949. Cradock had a flair for showmanship and was successful in attracting paying customers. Cradock sold his shares in the Alouettes for profit in 1952 and returned to Toronto. In the mid-1950s he angled to take control of
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 ...
from the Argonaut Rowing Club. In 1956 he joined another ownership trio, this time with John Bassett and Charlie Burns, and became co-owner of the club. Cradock brought back old friend Hayman to run the club. He had sold out by 1960, apparently over differences with Bassett. Football was not his only avenue of sports entrepreneurship. In 1946, while also founding the Alouettes, he was co-owner of the short-lived Toronto Huskies of the
Basketball Association of America The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (United States), National Basketball Lea ...
. The team folded after just one year.


References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cradock, Eric 1985 deaths Toronto Argonauts owners Montreal Alouettes owners Canadian football people from Toronto Businesspeople from Toronto Year of birth missing