Article content Hugh Campbell walked down a fairly steep slope Friday afternoon on the northeast side of Commonwealth stadium. “What a beautiful stadium. I coached the first football game here,” he said.
“In 1978. Right after the Commonwealth Games, We beat the B.C.
Lions.” Winning. It circled around the Edmonton Elks, Clarke Stadium and Commonwealth Stadium.
It has been triumphantly heralded that the Elks were the flagship franchise of the CFL — and, why not? They won the Grey Cup from 1978-1982. They hold the North American sports record for making the playoffs in the Canadian Football League: 34 years, from 1972 to 2005. Over the decades players, coaches, managers, equipment staff, office staff, and so many other people have contributed to the success.
Naming one person — a king, an emperor, a spokesperson or whichever term is applicable for someone to lead such a sports dynasty — isn’t fair, really. But from my point of view, Campbell would fit the bill. After a successful college stint with the Whitworth Pirates in Spokane, Edmonton became his home.
Campbell and many Elks alumni gathered on the east side of the stadium to rechristen the Legends Room. The former Elks are in town for a three-day sideline stroll, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Elks, which ended Saturday with the Elks hosting the Saskatchewan Roughriders. With his traditional baseball cap, Campbell, now 83, playfully toyed with a plastic orange juice container as he thought about h.
