George Gross

George Gross... spoke English, Slovak, Czech, German, Hungarian, Polish... married to wife Elizabeth (they had two children)... he was 27 years old when he moved to Canada in April 1950... was the editor of Soccer and Sports News (starting in 1953)... worked for the Toronto Telegram from 1959 to 1971... was the first sports editor of the Toronto Sun in 1971... he covered seven FIFA World Cups...

served as President of Sports Media Canada... served as Vice-President of the International Sport Press Association...

honoured by the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame... posthumously named in his honour, the George Gross Memorial Trophy recognises the Most Valuable Player of the Canadian Championship (first presented in 2008 to Matt Jordan)... named in his honour, Sport Media Canada’s George Gross Career Achievement Award...

said Steve Stavro in 1965 after Gross left Toronto City, “nobody has done more for soccer here; City’s door will always be open to him”... wrote Gross in 1972, “in 1961 soccer in Canada received its biggest boost with the formation of the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League. It had only four teams, but it helped establish a reputation for Canadian soccer on both sides of the Atlantic”...

wrote Gross in 2000, Toronto City FC of 1961 was “the best soccer team ever assembled in Canada”... wrote Gross in 2002, ”some of my staff may dislike me because I seek perfection,and my principal request is that they give all they can give. But I believe hard work never killed anyone”...

wrote Jim Fleming in 2002, ”George helped set the standard for reporting of sports in Canada and has been a great supporter of the sport of soccer in the City of Toronto, throughout Ontario, and across Canada”...

wrote Steve Simmons in 2008, Gross left “behind a legacy as a builder of sport, newspaper, industry leader, and not to be forgotten or short changed, was his love of a good meal, a great hotel, and even better bottle of wine. George Gross lived the life and then some”... said Dave Hodge in 2008, “his love for soccer and hockey was topped only by his passion for writing about them”... wrote Scott Morrison in 2008, “he packed a lot of quality living into those 85 years. He lived, witnessed and chronicled a lot of sporting history, put his finger prints on several significant and worthwhile projects, including this newspaper chain, and influenced many lives”...