37 Facts About Vince Leah

Vincent Leah was a Canadian journalist, writer and sports administrator.

Vince Leah wrote for The Winnipeg Tribune from 1930 to 1980, and was credited with giving the Winnipeg Blue Bombers their team's name.

Vince Leah established youth sports programs in Winnipeg for baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, ice hockey, and soccer; and brought Little League Baseball to Canada.

Vince Leah was widely known as "Uncle Vince", authored eight books on history and sports, and was a freelancer for the Winnipeg Free Press from 1980 to 1993.

Leah was made a member of the Order of Canada, was inducted into the builder category of both the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, and is the namesake of the Vince Leah Trophy awarded to the rookie-of-the-year in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Vince Leah was the first recipient of the Outstanding Volunteer in Sport Award given by the Manitoba Sports Federation, was recognized for his career in sports by the Heritage Winnipeg Corporation and the Canadian Amateur Sports Federation, and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Winnipeg.

Vincent Leah was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on November 29,1913.

Vince Leah was the youngest of two sons to Francis and Bridget Leah.

Vince Leah contracted polio at age eight, and attended Isaac Newton School and Ralph Brown School.

Vince Leah began working for The Winnipeg Tribune as a copy boy in 1930, and retired on May 30,1980, after 50 years as a sports journalist for the newspaper.

Vince Leah was credited with giving the Winnipeg Blue Bombers their team's name.

Journalist Jim Coleman wrote that Vince Leah coined the name late in 1935, after Winnipeg became the first team from Western Canada team to win a Grey Cup, and that the name came at a time when boxer Joe Louis had international success with the nickname, the Brown Bomber.

Vince Leah was the author of eight books on the history of sports in Winnipeg and Manitoba.

Vince Leah wrote 100 years of hockey in Manitoba, in co-operation with the Manitoba Hockey Players' Foundation for the 1970 Manitoba Centennial.

Vince Leah established youth sports programs in Winnipeg for baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, ice hockey, and soccer.

Vince Leah was involved with Sunday school sport programs in the North End, Winnipeg, during the late-1920s, and began the Community Juvenile Hockey League in 1932.

Vince Leah founded the Excelsior Hockey Club in 1934, which won thirteen provincial championships and produced forty professional hockey players.

Vince Leah was nicknamed "Old Frostbite" since he stood in snowbanks while coaching minor ice hockey teams, and later expanded the Excelsior Club to include other sports for youths on a year-round basis.

Vince Leah later organized the Tom Thumb Hockey program in 1944, and the Red, White, and Blue Hockey Organization in 1949.

Vince Leah founded the Juvenile Football League, served as secretary of the Manitoba Football Union, and was a volunteer high school football referee for eighteen years.

Vince Leah helped establish the Winnipeg Bantam Basketball League in 1949, and was a coach, manager, and referee for lacrosse in Winnipeg after the conclusion of World War II.

In community recreation, Vince Leah was instrumental in establishing the Margaret Park Community Centre in 1964, and served as its president from 1965 to 1967.

Vince Leah later served on the athletic committee for the Manitoba Centennial in 1970.

Vince Leah married Mary Isabel Jardine on April 6,1940, and had one son.

Vince Leah was a member of the Kildonan United Church of Canada, the Royal Canadian Legion, the Kiwanis Club, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles.

Vince Leah was an organist at his church, composed music and poetry, and was a watercolour and pastel artist.

Vince Leah died from a heart attack, on August 9,1993, at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.

Vince Leah was named to the Manitoba Order of the Buffalo Hunt in 1959.

Vince Leah received the Manitoba Golden Boy Award in 1962, and the Manitoba Centennial Medal of Honour in 1970.

Vince Leah was made a member of the Order of Canada on June 23,1980, for "his work in newspapers and interest in the welfare of the youth of Manitoba".

Vince Leah was inducted into the builder category of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1981, and the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.

Vince Leah received an honorary doctorate from the University of Winnipeg in 1985.

Vince Leah was named to the honour roll of the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association in 1987.

Vince Leah was the first recipient of the Outstanding Volunteer in Sport Award given by the Manitoba Sports Federation, and received the Distinguished Service Award from the Heritage Winnipeg Corporation.

Vince Leah was a life member of the Manitoba Lawn Bowling Association, the Manitoba Provincial Rifle Association, and the Ward Three Community Baseball League.

Vince Leah was posthumously inducted into the Winnipeg Citizens Hall of Fame in 1994.

Vince Leah was made the namesake of three streets in Winnipeg, and the Vince Leah Trophy awarded to the rookie-of-the-year in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.