Harold K. "Bud" Irving (born May 2, 1926) is a former

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

who played six seasons in the

Western Interprovincial Football Union The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), its counterpart being the East Division. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the West Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagu ...

(WIFU) (now

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL) West Division) for the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...

. An attendee of

Kelvin High School Kelvin High School is a public high school in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The school is located in the neighbourhood of River Heights. Kelvin teaches grades 9 to 12 and is part of the South District of the Winnipeg School Division. History T ...

, Irving skipped college at a chance to play professional football.

Early life and education

Harold "Bud" Irving was born on May 2, 1926. He attended

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, graduating in 1945. He was later inducted into the school's hall of fame. Irving skipped college at the chance to play professional football in the

(WIFU) (now CFL West Division) for the

Professional career

As a rookie, Irving helped his team make the 33rd Grey Cup; however, they lost 0–35 against the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

. He appeared in all eight games during the 1946 season, starting seven and helping his team reach the

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

for the second consecutive year. Their second championship also ended in defeat, as the Argonauts again were victorious. In his third season, Irving again appeared in every game, but only started five of them. For the third straight season, Winnipeg made the

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

, but again lost to the Argonauts, this time by a score of 9–10. With an expanded schedule in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

, Irving started nine games as the Blue Bombers finished with a 3–9 record. Despite missing several games, he was named to the league's all-star team, tied with Bert Iannone. He also scored his only career

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

in 1948, on a fumble return. He was a starter in all fourteen games in the 1949 season, earning second-team all-Western honors as the Blue Bombers finished with a 2–12 record. By the start of the 1950 season, Irving was the last member of Winnipeg who had played in one of their Grey Cups. He appeared in all fourteen games in the season, helping the team compile a record of 10–4. They eventually made it to the

38th Grey Cup The 38th Grey Cup, played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto on November 25, 1950, before 27,101 fans, also known as the Mud Bowl, was the Canadian football championship game played between the Toronto Argonauts and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Arg ...

, but lost for the fourth time to the Toronto Argonauts.

Later life

Following the loss, Irving retired, with plans to complete a law course at

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba. After getting a degree from Manitoba, Irving became an official of junior and intermediate football games. He later became an official in the

(CFL), retiring after officiating the

48th Grey Cup The 48th Grey Cup was the Canadian Football League's (CFL) championship game of the 1960 season on November 26, 1960. The Ottawa Rough Riders defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 16–6 at Vancouver's Empire Stadium before a crowd of 38,102 fans. Box ...

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

. As of November 2021, Irving is believed to be the oldest living Blue Bomber, and one of the oldest former Canadian football players.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irving, Bud 1926 births Living people Canadian football guards Winnipeg Blue Bombers players