44 Facts About Silver Quilty

Sylvester Patrick "Silver" Quilty was a Canadian football player, referee, coach and sport administrator.

Silver Quilty played with the Ottawa Rough Riders, and the McGill Redmen football team.

Silver Quilty sought to implement uniform playing rules across Canada, and helped bridge disagreements between the provincial hockey associations.

Silver Quilty was the father of National Hockey League player Johnny Quilty, was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1966, and into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1975.

Silver Quilty detested his birth name Sylvester, and preferred to be known as Silver.

Silver Quilty began playing football while attending the Renfrew Collegiate Institute.

At age 16, Silver Quilty enrolled at the University of Ottawa, and joined the Ottawa Gee-Gees football team coached by Father William Stanton.

Silver Quilty went on to play with the Gee-Gees football team from 1907 to 1912.

Silver Quilty was the team's kicker and main ball carrier for the 1908 and 1909 seasons.

Silver Quilty served as the captain of the Ottawa team for the 1911 season.

Silver Quilty graduated from University of Ottawa in 1912 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

On September 23,1912, Silver Quilty returned to play in Ottawa for the 1912 season, instead of studying at the seminary.

Silver Quilty played the 1913 season with the Ottawa Rough Riders under his old coach Father Stanton, but his team failed to reach the playoffs.

Silver Quilty joined the McGill Redmen football team for the 1914 season, who were the defending intercollegiate champions.

Silver Quilty felt that modern football was more of a coaches' game, and said "but one thing hasn't changed with the years, to play football well you've got to have your heart in it".

Silver Quilty worked as a Canadian football referee for five seasons after his playing days.

Silver Quilty officiated football for two seasons with the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union, and then three seasons with the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union.

Silver Quilty is credited with officiating one or two Grey Cup games depending on the source.

Silver Quilty served on the rules committee for the CIAU and the IRFU.

Silver Quilty later served as the president of a local Ottawa football organization.

Silver Quilty coached the Ottawa St Brigid's team in the Ontario Rugby Football Union from 1917 to 1919, then coached the Ottawa Rough Riders in the IRFU during the 1920 and 1923 seasons.

Silver Quilty chose to remain in a coaching role only, despite requests to be a player-coach.

Silver Quilty was the founding president of the Ottawa District Hockey Association in 1920, which soon affiliated with the national governing body, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association.

Silver Quilty raised the profile of hockey in Eastern Ontario, and was a voice in favour of amateur hockey.

Silver Quilty was elected vice-president of the CAHA, serving in that role from 1922 to 1924.

Silver Quilty was immediately faced with branches of the CAHA resigning due to disagreements on rules of play, and set up a committee to look into uniform rules of play across Canada, in cooperation with the three existing professional leagues.

In January 1925, Silver Quilty appointed a special committee to review the amateur playing rules in the continued interest of uniformity and safety.

Silver Quilty confirmed that districts were voting on whether to make the Allan Cup final a best two-out-of-three series, or remain two-game total-goals series.

Silver Quilty announced Allan Cup and Abbott Cup schedules as a two-game series for 1925, but later switched the Allan Cup playoffs to a best-of-three series due to public demand.

In March 1925, Silver Quilty ordered an intermediate one-game playoff between Fort Frances and the Manitoba champion, but the Manitoba Association refused to play citing that no provision existed for inter-provincial intermediate playoffs.

Silver Quilty was unanimously reelected president of the CAHA on March 25,1925, at the annual general meeting held in the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg.

The general meeting saw the CAHA cancel its alliance with the United States Amateur Hockey Association due to persistent disagreements, but Silver Quilty still allowed CAHA teams to play against American colleges not affiliated with the USAHA.

The decision was consistent with a ruling earlier that month when Silver Quilty approved exhibition games for Canadian teams against American high schools.

On March 18,1926, Silver Quilty declared a forfeit in the early rounds of the eastern Allan Cup playoffs in favour of the Ottawa Gunners from the Ottawa City Hockey League, when St Francis Xavier of Montreal refused to play a sudden death game necessitated by time constraints caused due to delays in the previous round.

Silver Quilty was succeeded as the CAHA president on March 27,1926, by Frank Sandercock from Calgary.

Silver Quilty was the honorary president of the CAHA from 1926 to 1928.

Silver Quilty was made an Allan Cup trustee after his term as CAHA president expired.

In 1930, Silver Quilty served on the executive of the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada, and was the chairman of its committee for affiliations and alliances for all amateur sports in Canada.

Silver Quilty married Catherine Boyle in Ottawa, circa World War I The couple had five children together, including three boys and two girls.

Johnny Silver Quilty grew up watching the original Ottawa Senators play at home, was the light-heavyweight boxing champion of the Ottawa Valley in 1939, and served in the military during World War II.

Johnny Silver Quilty died on September 12,1969, at age 48.

Silver Quilty was interred at Notre-Dame Cemetery in Ottawa, with his wife's family in section 20, lot 5043.

In 1966, Silver Quilty was inducted into both the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

Silver Quilty attended the opening of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame building in Hamilton, Ontario, on September 14,1973, at a mass induction ceremony for all of the previous 38 inductees.