George Gross, O.Ont (born Juraj Gross; January 23, 1923 – March 21, 2008) was a Slovak-born Canadian sports journalist and soccer executive. He worked for several newspapers, most notably the ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...

''. He was a co-founder of the

Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League The Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League was a soccer league in Canada. The league operated for six seasons from 1961 to 1966 across four cities in two Canadian provinces and one American state. In the 1960s, the Eastern Canada Professional ...

Early life

Gross was born in Bratislava, Slovakia in January 1923. As a journalist in Bratislava, he had been jailed by the post-Second World War communist regime in Czechoslovakia for his political views. He eventually escaped from Austria by rowing, or swimming, across the Danube River. Upon arriving in Canada, he earned a position as a farm hand but was unable to work the

Cultivator A cultivator (also known as a rotavator) is a piece of agricultural machinery, agricultural equipment used for secondary tillage. One sense of the name refers to frames with ''teeth'' (also called ''shanks'') that pierce the soil as they ar ...

Career

After being fired as a farm hand, Gross accepted a freelance position with the Toronto Telegram, where he was eventually hired full-time in 1959. Once the Telegram went bankrupt, he became the first sports editor at the Toronto Sun. During his time with the Telegram and Sun, Gross won the 1974 National Newspaper Award, Dunlop Award, and authored three books. In 1985, Gross was inducted into the

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

, winning the

Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award The Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award is an accolade presented annually to a print newspaper columnist or reporter in recognition of their achievements covering the game of ice hockey. The award is "to recognize distinguished members of the newspap ...

. The next year, Gross was promoted to corporate sports editor with a weekly column. In 1994, he received the

Olympic Order The Olympic Order, established in 1975, is the highest award of the Olympic Movement. It is awarded for particularly distinguished contributions to the Olympic Movement, i.e. recognition of efforts worthy of merit in the cause of sport. Tradit ...

, and he was inducted into the Slovak Hockey Hall of Fame as well as the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2003, he was presented with the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the Advice (constitutional), advice of the Executive Council ...

. In 2005, Gross was inducted into the

Canadian 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 muse ...

, and in April 2006, Gross was inducted as a builder into the

Canada Soccer Hall of Fame The Canada Soccer Hall of Fame honours people and institutions for their contributions to Canadian soccer. It was founded in 1997 by the Ontario Soccer Association and was originally located in Vaughan, Ontario. As of 2024, the Canada Soccer Ha ...

. In 2004, the ''Toronto Sun'' began its annual George Gross/Toronto Sun Sportsperson of the Year award. Shortly after his death in 2008, the

Canadian Soccer Association The Canadian Soccer Association (; branded as Canada Soccer) is the governing body for soccer in Canada. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs Canadian soccer at the international, professional, a ...

created the George Gross Memorial Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player of the annual

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship () is an annual soccer tournament contested by Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. It is contested by Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC, Va ...

. As well, Tennis Canada announced renamed the Rexall Centre the George Gross Media Centre.

Footnotes

External links

Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame inductee page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gross, George 1923 births 2008 deaths Canada Soccer Hall of Fame inductees Canadian male journalists Canadian people of Slovak descent Canadian sports builders Canadian sports journalists Czechoslovak defectors Czechoslovak emigrants to Canada Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award recipients Ice hockey people from Ontario Journalists from Toronto Members of the Order of Ontario People from Etobicoke Soccer people from Ontario Toronto Sun people