Edmonton Huskies Football Alumni

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Edmonton Huskies Football Alumni The Edmonton Huskies Alumni Society, formed as a vehicle to recognize the players, coaches and staff of the past decades, and support the current team.

EDMONTON HUSKIES HISTORY

The Beginnings

The first recent history of a junior football team in organised play in Edmonton was in 1947 when the Maple Leaf Athletic Club fielded a football team. The South Side Athletic Club was in existence, but it is unclear whether they fielded a team at that time. We do know that there was a second team in Edmonton in 1947 called the West End Inter-City Capitals that defeated the Maple Leafs three of the four games played that year but they did not compete for the Alberta Championship. In 1948 The Edmonton Athletic Club replaced the Capitals and kept that name through to 1949, In 1950 they became the Edmonton South Side Athletic Club and the South Side Athletics in 1951. This team officially became the Edmonton Oilers in 1952 and continued until 1953 and were commonly referred to as “the South Side Oilers”. The cross-town rivals were the Maple Leaf Athletic Club who took the name “Wildcats” in 1952. There were two teams in Calgary at that time, the Tornados and the Mustangs. The 1952 Oilers were not a terrible team. They did come last in a four-team league but still managed two wins and a tie along with four losses. Unfortunately the same could not be said for the 1953 team. It went 0 for 7 in the win department and scored only 28 points while allowing 141 points against. There were many disgruntled supporters on the Strathcona side of the Saskatchewan River. The pressure for change was great. The Edmonton Huskies came into being officially on April 26, 1954. That was the date of the first organisational meeting of a group of young businessmen and sports enthusiasts who had decided to form a club to replace the struggling Oilers. The 1954 program indicated that the Oilers had been “mauled” by the Maple Leaf Wildcats for the past three years. The biggest “movers and shakers” in establishing the new club were Don McColl and Tom Shymka. The first President of the Huskies was Charles “Chuck” Henderson. He was quoted at the time as having said: “A boy who plays for the Huskie Football Club will not only be well-equipped and coached, but he will be taught how to be a Canadian citizen.” The club at the time had a paid up membership of 250 and a 25 man Board of Directors. The first coach was Murray Smith, a high school physical education teacher in his first year at Strathcona High School after having taught previously at Devon High School. He had played for the University of Alberta Golden Bears under Dr Maury Van Vliet. It was Don McColl who approached Murray for the position. Denny Ellerbeck, another high school physical educator who had played centre at McGill University, was his only assistant coach. Monty Ford, who had served as a trainer for the South Side Oilers since 1952, continued in that capacity. Monty had previous experience as a trainer of the Edmonton Waterloo Mercurys Hockey Club that won the 1950 World and 1952 Olympic Gold Medals. Ron Downey served as the first General Manager. Some of the names on that team included Mike Kmech (Edmonton Eskimos 1956 – 62), Leigh McMillan (Eskimos 1955 - 57), Harold Krebs (Eskimos 1956, Montreal Alouettes and Calgary Stampeders after that), John Borger (Calgary Stampeders 1956-57), Bryan Hall (who went on to broadcast the Eskimo Games for the better part of a half-century). Miles Palmer Jr., whose father played on the first two Eskimo teams to compete for the Grey Cup (1921-22), shared quarterback duties with Dick McBride on that team. The Oilers had previously been practising at the South Side Athletic grounds (now renamed Rollie Miles Field). They had to take their equipment home with them every night as various sports teams used the changing rooms. In 1954 both the Wildcats and the Huskies started the season practising at the south side athletic grounds, quite often combining practices. Midway through the season, the Wildcats moved to Clarke Stadium. The Huskies moved its operations to King Edward School at 86 Avenue and 101 Street in 1955, changed in the school basement and practised on the school field. Part way through that year a small grandstand was built on the practice field in Kinsmen Park, and there were changing rooms under the grandstand (as there was also a skating rink there in the winter and the changing rooms were used during the winter by the skaters). Operations moved down into the river valley and had remained there ever since. Also in 1955 the first clubhouse (which was an old electrical shop at the top of the hill) was dragged down to the valley, but it sat on blocks for two years. The visionary responsible for the acquisition of the building and its move down to the park was Don McColl. Unfortunately, he had neglected to get Board of Directors approval or even inform them in advance. His acquisition resulted in some heated Board meetings and nearly bankrupted the club. The club continued to dress under the stands until a foundation was finally put in place in 1957. The club enjoyed the first of its two clubhouses starting at that time. Initially, the uniforms were blue with white lettering. The club adopted the current black and gold colours in 1958. The colours and uniform design were taken from the then dominant US Army football team from West Point. Unfortunately, the Huskies did not start out with a bang. They came last in the Alberta league in their first year of operation going 1-6 that season. The first game the Edmonton Huskies ever won in a competition was that year when they defeated the Calgary Mustangs. A solid base both on the field and in the boardroom, however, had been established. The efforts of that initial year put the club on a course that would eventually lead to greatness.

10/12/2026
10/11/2026
10/10/2026

The Huskie Howler - Newsletter of the Edmonton Huskies Alumni Society. Founded by Mike Eurchuk

Mike Belonged To More Than The Huskies.

Wrestling Canada Lutte (WCL) extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends and wrestling community following the passing of longtime official, administrator and WCL Hall of Fame member Mike Eurchuk.

Eurchuk dedicated nearly two decades to wrestling officiating in Alberta, serving as an official from 1967 to 1984. During his career, he officiated at numerous Canadian national and international events, including 12 World Championships, three World Cups, two Pan-American Games, the 1978 Commonwealth Games and the 1976 Olympic Games.

His contributions extended beyond officiating. Eurchuk served for five years as President of the Alberta Amateur Wrestling Officials Association and spent 14 years as a director of the Alberta Amateur Wrestling Association, including serving as President from 1985 to 1986. He also served as WCL’s Vice President of Development from 1987 to 1991.

Eurchuk’s contributions to the sport earned him numerous honours, including the 1980 Canadian Amateur Sport Official of the Year award and the FILA Gold Star for Contribution to International Wrestling. He was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Wrestling Canada Lutte Hall of Fame in 1996 in the Builder category.

WCL joins the Alberta Amateur Wrestling Association and the broader Canadian wrestling community in remembering Mike Eurchuk and offering its sincere condolences to his family, friends and all those who knew him and were impacted by his many years of service to sport.

AAWA Mourns the passing of Mike Eurchuk.
The AAWA is sad to hear that long time wrestling alumni Mike Eurchuk has passed away. Mike is a member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, Wrestling Canada Hall of Fame and was the last official from Alberta to referee at an Olympic Games.

Mike was a long time official in Alberta -1967 to 1984. During that time he also referred at many National and International events. He was the President of the Officials Association for 5 years and a Director serving on the AAWA Board for 16 years, including President from 1985 to 1986. The AAWA extends our condolences to his family, friends, and all that knew him in the wrestling and football communities.

Beyond wrestling, Eurchuk was a longtime member of the Edmonton Huskies football organization, where he remained involved for nearly six decades.

A Celebration of Life for Mike Eurchuk:

Scheduled: Oct 30, 2026 at 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM, MDT
Location: Hainstock's Funeral Home 9810 34 Ave NW, Edmonton AB T6E 6L1, Canada
If you plan to attend, please wear your Huskie Colors in Mikes Honour

MIKE EURCHUK, RIP

10/09/2026

All-Stars and top Rookies from 2026

The Huskie Howler- Newsletter of the Edmonton Huskies Alumni SocietyGot a question? Have a beef? Sumbit an Article?Conta...
10/09/2026

The Huskie Howler-
Newsletter of the Edmonton Huskies Alumni Society

Got a question? Have a beef? Sumbit an Article?
Contact Don: [email protected]

Greetings Huskie Nation...

The season ends and not on a happy note for several reasons:
- We lose our QB1 before the season even starts
- We lose our last 6 games in a row
- GM Jason Lorrimer announces he is stepping down from the GM position
- In the past two weeks we have lost Huskie Alumni Legends, Mike Eurchuk and Norm Kimball

Tough to make a go out of the season when the QB goes down 1st day of camp. Yet the boys still found a way to win the first two games and even in their losses they were always competing.

2-6 isn't a great record in anyones book, but this season really gives the Huskies something to build on in 2027.

Congratulations to the two Alberta teams, Calgary Colts and Edmonton Wildcats. Good luck in Saskatchewan boys.

Jason Lorrimer announced his departure as GM of the Huskies this week. The work that Jason has done on behalf of the Huskie organization was extraordinary. Jason, is the living incarnation of the Energizer Bunnie. The Edmonton Huskies Alumni thank J for his commitment and wish him and Bonnie the best on their next adventure.

How do you acknowledge the passing of Huskie Royalty...the loss of Mike Eurchuk and Norm Kimball over the last two weeks has left a hole in the heart of the Huskies.

The following two tributes were taken off the Huskies page.

Mike Eurchuk: The Edmonton Huskies family is deeply saddened by the passing of Past President, longtime executive, builder and friend, Mike’s connection to the Huskies spanned nearly six decades. He served as General Manager, Treasurer, President and director, also helping preserve the organization’s history and shape its future.

His contributions to football were recognized nationally, including the CJFL Stewart MacDonald Executive of the Year Award in 2013 and the CJFL Ed Henick Meritorious Service Award in 2021, serving as the CJFL treasurer for 23 years probably helped that. He was inducted into the Huskies Hall of Fame in 2018.

Mike was also a respected Canadian wrestling official and builder, serving at Olympic, World, Commonwealth and Pan-American Games. We are grateful for everything Mike gave to the Edmonton Huskies and extend our condolences to his family, friends and to the many communities he touched.
Thank you for everything, Mike, you will be missed.

Norm Kimball: The Edmonton Huskies are saddened to hear of the passing of Norm Kimball, one of the great names in the history of football in this city. Before most people knew him as “Stormin’ Norman” and before he became one of the most respected executives in Canadian football, Norm was a Huskie. He coached with the Huskies in the 1950s and took over as the teams second Head Coach in 1959, leading the team to an Alberta Championship.

From there, his football career became something pretty incredible. Norm went on to spend more than two decades with the Edmonton Football Club, eventually becoming General Manager and helping build the teams that won six Grey Cups, including five straight from 1978 to 1982. His accomplishments speak for themselves, but his impact on football went well beyond the professional game.

Norm helped build the Huskies in the early years of our organization, and his influence on amateur football in Alberta continued for generations. Football Alberta’s Coach of the Year Award carries his name, for us, that connection means a lot. Before the Grey Cups, the Hall of Fame honours and everything else that followed, he was one of ours. Our thoughts are with Norm’s family, friends and everyone in the football community who had the opportunity to know him. Norm helped build the foundation that generations of Huskies have stood on. His legacy will always be part of this organization.
Norman H. (Norm) Kimball Obituary | 1930 - 2026 | Edmonton Journal

Two Huskie Alumni also took the time to remember Mike:
Mike Eurchuk certainly did more to maintain a connection to the generations of players that wore the Huskie jersey. His dedication to reporting about the lives and passing of teammates over 7-8 generations was remarkable. Thanks Mike for keeping us all connected.
God bless.
Gary Clark 1954-59

Hats off to all those Alumni who give of their own time to make the Huskies more than just a football team! Mike was always willing to give of his time.
Rest in Peace Mike.
Aurell Royer 1955-58

Dates to Remember:

- Friday, November 13th at the Quarry - Edmonton Huskies Awards Banquet. For more information: [email protected]
-Wednesday, December 2nd at Huskie House (6PM) - Edmonton Huskies Alumni Society AGM. For more information: [email protected]
-Saturday, March 13th at the Evario Events Centre - Edmonton Huskies Hall of Fame Inductions and Gala. For more information: [email protected]

The Last Word is not available today. In its place another football quote - Don't walk through life just playing football. Don't walk through life just being an athlete. Athletics will fade. Character and integrity and really making an impact on someone's life, that's the ultimate vision, that's the ultimate goal - bottom line.

Junior Football Fades into the Sunset for 2026

Photo by Rick Medcke

10/09/2026

The top individuals from the 2026 regular season

10/07/2026

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20432-106 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
T5S1W2

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