Hugh Gall (c. 1888 – May 19, 1938) was a

Canadian football Canadian football () is a 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 scoring area ( ...

player considered to be one of the best runners and punters of his era. After playing half-back in Toronto for Parkdale Collegiate, Gall joined the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

varsity team in 1907 and played there for four seasons. He led the team to Grey Cup victories in 1909 and 1910, becoming the first team to win the new trophy presented to the Canadian Rugby Union champions. Gall set a record for most singles (single point kicks, also known as ''rouges'') in a Grey Cup game with eight in 1909, a record that still stands (though somewhat asterisked, because he accomplished the feat before

end zone The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field. ...

s were invented and as such as soon as the ball crossed the goal line it was dead and could not be returned). He was team captain for the 1910 season. Gall also played in the Ontario Hockey Association for the Parkdale Canoe Club hockey team. In addition, he competed in several track meets in the Toronto area. Gall was elected vice-commodore of the Parkdale Canoe Club in 1911 and then became a football referee. He returned to action in 1913, playing for the Parkdale team that lost in the Grey Cup final. Gall coached U of T to the intercollegiate championship in 1914 and graduated in 1915 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He became secretary of the Canadian Rugby Union (now

Football Canada Football Canada is the governing body for amateur gridiron football in Canada headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Football Canada focuses primarily its own Canadian form of the sport, and is currently the world's only national governing body for ...

) in 1914, and served a one-year term as president of the organization in 1920-1921. He died in Toronto at age 49 from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

. Gall was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1963, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1975, and the U of T Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gall, Hugh 1938 deaths Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees University of Toronto alumni Toronto Varsity Blues football players Players of Canadian football from Ontario Year of birth missing