St. Hyacinthe–Donnacona Navy was an

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

Canadian football team during the Second World War. They won 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 ...

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

. The team was named after the communications training school and the naval reserve division .

Game

Both the Western Interprovincial Football Union and the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union had no 1944 regular season due to the Second World War. Lower-ranked leagues did participate for the playoffs. St. Hyacinthe–Donnacona Navy was part of the Quebec Rugby Football Union. On 25 November 1944 the St. Hyacinthe–Donnacona Navy defeated the Hamilton Wildcats 7–6 at the Civic Stadium, in Hamilton, Ontario, to win the

32nd Grey Cup The 32nd Grey Cup was played on November 25, 1944, before 3,871 fans at Civic Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, ...

Roster

St. Hyacinthe–Donnacona Navy defeated the Hamilton Wildcats at the

. Championship roster (bold denotes the player played in the Grey Cup game): Charlie Ellis, Wally Charron, Curly Hiltz, Ginger O’Brien, Bucko McLeod, Glen Brown (Coach), Roy Kirbyson,

John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar may refer to: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 *John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) (178 ...

John Crncich John George Crncich (February 8, 1925 – October 27, 2019) was a Grey Cup champion Canadian Football League player. He played offensive center. A native Croatian, Crncich played football with Thomas D'Arcy McGee High School, and later attended ...

, Steve Levantis,

Jack Wedley Jack Wedley (September 15, 1917 – September 29, 2003) was an all-star and Grey Cup champion Canadian football player, playing from 1937 to 1951. Born in England, Wedley came to Canada in his youth and played playground football with the ci ...

, Al Hurley, Wally Patch, Malcolm Baker, Hal Chard, Tom Bainbridge, Ian Barclay, Sam Abbott, Whitey Leonard, Dick Swarbrick,

Pat Santucci Pat Santucci (1924 – October 30, 1992) was an all-star and Grey Cup champion Canadian football player, playing from 1943 to 1950. Santucci began his well traveled football career with the Hamilton Flying Wildcats in 1943, winning the Grey Cup t ...

, Dutch Davey, Mickey McFall, Dave Kotavitch, Al Symms, Jim Spicer, Des Campbell, L. Raymond, W.O. John Montague, P.O. George Reid, Bill Kydd,

Louis Segatore Louis Segatore was a Grey Cup champion Canadian Football League player. He was a lineman. A native Montrealer, Segatore played football with Loyola College. He was a fixture with nearly every team that played in Montreal during the pre-CFL days ...

, Fred Porter, Surgeon Lt. Comdr. Richard Lane, Lt. Christopher Ellis,

Moe Segal Moe Segal was a Grey Cup champion Canadian Football League player. He played offensive guard and tackle. A native Québécois, Segal played football with Ottawa Technical High School. He won the Grey Cup with the champion St. Hyacinthe-Donnacon ...

, Paul Kenwood, Milton Scully,

Juan Sheridan Juan Sheridan (February 2, 1925 – October 7, 1969) was a Grey Cup champion Canadian Football League player. Sheridan won his first Grey Cup with Montreal St. Hyacinthe-Donnacona Navy team in 1944 (when league play was suspended during World W ...

Post 1944

In 1969, the then CFL commissioner

Jake Gaudaur Jacob Gill Gaudaur, Jr., (October 5, 1920 – December 4, 2007) was a Canadian Football League (CFL) player, executive, and commissioner. His 45-year career in Canadian football, including 16 years as the league's fourth commissioner (and its ...

, gave the team a chance at championship rings for $300 each. At the

1994 Grey Cup The 82nd Grey Cup was the 1994 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Baltimore Football Club and the BC Lions at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was the first championship in professional football histor ...

the CFL paid special homage to the team.

Quebec Rugby Football Union season-by-season

References

External links

HMCS St.Hyacinthe-Donnacona Navy Combines’ 1944 Season
Grey Cup Defunct Canadian football teams Hm 1940s disestablishments in Quebec 1943 establishments in Quebec 1943 in Canadian football 1944 in Canadian football {{canada-sport-team-stub