Michael Francis Fallon (May 17, 1867 – February 22, 1931) was a Canadian

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

and a

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 ...

coach. He was the Bishop of

Roman Catholic Diocese of London, Ontario The Diocese of London () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in Canada. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Toronto. The present episcopal see of the di ...

from 1910 to 1931 and the head coach of the Ottawa Gee-Gees teams in the 1890s. Fallon was born on May 17, 1867 in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

. He was educated at the Christian Brothers School in Kingston and received degrees from

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

(B.A.) and the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

(D.D.). He was ordained in 1884 and became an English literature professor at the University of Ottawa and was the University's vice-rector. He also coached the university's football team and led them to the dominion championship in 1894, 1896, and 1897. In 1898, Fallon was made a priest of St. Joseph's Parish. Three years later, he was transferred to the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo The Diocese of Buffalo () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Western New York in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese within the metropolitan province of the Archdiocese of New York. The Diocese of Buffalo includes ei ...

. He then served as provincial of the first American state of the

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest later recognized as a Catholic saint. The congregation wa ...

. Fallon’s evangelization among Protestants in the Western provinces of Canada won the support of Archbishop Donato Sbarretti, the Apostolic Delegate to Canada and Newfoundland, who subsequently looked to Fallon for service and advice. The Apostolic Delegate recommended him in 1909 for the appointment of the first Bishop of Regina. From April 25, 1910, until his death on February 22, 1931, he was Bishop of

.""He Never Saw Team Defeated" – Tribute to Dr. Fallon as Coach"
''Ottawa Journal''. Feb. 28, 1931 (pg. 26). Retrieved 2021-12-07. He is buried in the chapel of London's St. Peter's Seminary.

References

1867 births 1931 deaths Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian Roman Catholic bishops Ottawa Gee-Gees football coaches Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Sportspeople from Kingston, Ontario University of Ottawa alumni {{Canada-RC-bishop-stub