James Kenneth Watson, (August 12, 1904 – July 26, 1986) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

curler.

Biography

Watson was born in

Minnedosa, Manitoba Minnedosa is a town in the southwestern part of the Canadian province of Manitoba situated 50 kilometres (32 mi) north of Brandon, Manitoba on the Little Saskatchewan River. The town's name means "flowing water" in the Dakota language. The p ...

and moved to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

later. He was the first man to skip his rink to three Brier championships in 1936, 1942 and 1949. After his career as a curler ended, he became a sports broadcaster, co-hosting CBC Championship Curling with

Alex Trebek George Alexander Trebek (; July 22, 1940 – November 8, 2020) was a Canadian and American game show host and television personality. He was best known for hosting the syndicated general knowledge quiz game show ''Jeopardy!'' for 37 seasons ...

in 1966. He died in St. Boniface, Manitoba.

Honours

* 1969 – inducted into the national Sports Hall of Fame * 1973 – elected to the

Canadian Curling Hall of Fame The Canadian Curling Hall of Fame was established with its first inductees in 1973. It is operated by Curling Canada, the governing body for curling in Canada, in Orleans, Ontario. The Hall of Fame selection committee meets annually to choose indu ...

* 1975 – made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

* 1978 – Elmer Freytag Award * 1980 - inducted into the

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a Canadian museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dedicated to honoring the history and achievements of sports in Manitoba. The organization began in 1980, and then opened a museum in The Forks in 1993. Afte ...

* 2016 - designated a

National Historic Person Persons of National Historic Significance (National Historic People) () are people designated by the Canadian government as being nationally significant in the history of the country. Designations are made by the Minister of the Environment on the ...

Books

* ''Ken Watson on Curling'', 1950

References

External links

Ken Watson’s biography
a
Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
1904 births 1986 deaths Curlers from Winnipeg Members of the Order of Canada Curling broadcasters Brier champions People from Minnedosa, Manitoba Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) 20th-century Canadian sportsmen {{Canada-curling-bio-stub