Bob Ackles

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ACKLES, BOB , Honoured for the significant contributions he made to the B.C. Lions. Ackles joined the Lions as a 15 year old water boy in 1953, the year prior to the team’s inaugural season in the WIFU (later to become the CFL’s Western Conference). Over the next thirty-four years Ackles performed virtually every administrative duty in the organization, from Equipment Manager to General Manager.

During the 1975 season Ackles took over as General Manager of the team over the next eleven years with the help of a strong Board of Directors, he turned the team around on the field and off. He consulted with the Provincial Government in obtaining a much needed stadium, built a new training facility and office complex while finishing first in the Western Conference four times (1977, 1983, 1984 and 1985), participated in the Grey Cup in 1983 and won it all in 1985 in Montreal.

Ackles remained active in football after leaving the B.C. Lions where he became one of the most widely respected executives in recent NFL history, spent time with the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins more recently spent a year as the Vice President and GM of the Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL. Ackles is currently back where it all began with the BC Lions where he serves as President.
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Official B.C. Lions club statement on the passing of president and CEO Bob Ackles
B.C. Lions Football Club
Published: Sunday, July 06, 2008

VANCOUVER - With sadness, the BC Lions Football Club announced today the passing of its president and CEO Bob Ackles who died this morning after suffering a heart attack. The club's original water boy who rose through the ranks to become it's most recognizable ambassador had been an integral member of the club for more than 50 years. Bob was 69.

Bob's star rose quickly with the Lions, and in 1966 he was named the club's director of football development. He was promoted again in 1971 to assistant general manager. Four years later, he was promoted to general manager, holding that title until 1986.

Under Bob's leadership, the Lions captured the 1985 Grey Cup -- their first CFL title in 21 seasons. This was to be a triumphant but temporary end to Bob's Lions career, as he accepted an offer to join the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL after 34 years with the Leos. Bob spent six seasons in Dallas; three as vice president of pro personnel, and three as vice president of player personnel. He also played a key role in guiding the Cowboys back to the playoffs in 1991. Bob left Dallas following that season, but the team he helped assemble would go on to win Super Bowls in 1993, 1994 and 1996.

Bob joined the Phoenix Cardinals in 1992 as director of college scouting before receiving a promotion to assistant general manager in 1994. Bob's next stop was Philadelphia in 1995, where he was named the Eagles' director of football administration. A year later, Bob would reunite with former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson in Miami as the club's director of football operations, a position he held for five years.

In 2000, Bob was named vice president and general manager of the Las Vegas Outlaws. This put Bob in the history books as the only man to hold senior executive positions in the CFL, NFL and XFL. With the XFL only lasting a single season, Bob found himself out of football for the first time in decades and seized the opportunity to further his education and enrolled in UNLV's Fine Arts program.

In 2002, Bob's triumphant return to the Lions was capped off with his induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a Builder. In an effort to return the club to its proper place in the community and the CFL, he recruited one of the league's most successful coaches of all time, Wally Buono, and named him head coach and general manager in 2003.

In 2004, Ackles was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame. Accolades for Ackles work continued in 2005 when Bob was honoured with the Jack Diamond Award by the Jewish Community Centre as Sportsman of the Year. Bob was also a Schenley Award of Excellence winner. In 2006, the Lions captured their fifth championship - the first since Bob's return to Vancouver.

In September 2007, Bob's highly anticipated memoir The Water Boy, a candid, personal account of his life and his more than 50 years in professional football, was launched and received rave reviews across North America.

In addition to his work with the Lions, Bob also served on the board of directors for the Vancouver YMCA, the Canadian Tourism Commission, and for the Burnaby Mountain Sport & Medical Centre.

Bob is survived by his wife Kay, sons Steve (Sherri) and Scott (Teresa) and grandchildren, Robert, Ashley Kyle, Kasey and Robyn
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Rest in Peace
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Robbie
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His entry on the Canadian Football Hall of Fame:

http://www.cfhof.ca/index.php?module=pa ... les,%20Bob

Image

EXECUTIVE CAREER
GENERAL MANAGER, B.C. LIONS . . . 1975-1986
PRESIDENT, B.C. LIONS . . . APPOINTED 2002

AWARDS AND HONOURS
SCHENLEY AWARD-FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO CANADIAN FOOT . . . JUNE 1986
(THE ONLY NON-PLAYER EVER TO BE AWARDED THE SCHENLEY AWARD)
BOB ACKLES DAY-CITY OF VANCOUVER . . . 1986
KEY TO THE CITY OF VANCOUVER . . . 1986
KEY TO THE CITY OF KELOWNA . . . 1986
SPECIAL AWARD CONTRIBUTION TO JUNIOR FOOTBALL, BRITISH COLUMBIA

ACKLES JOINED THE B.C. LIONS AS A 15-YEAR-OLD WATER BOY IN 1953, THE YEAR PRIOR TO THE TEAM’S INAUGURAL SEASON IN THE WIFU (LATER TO BECOME THE CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE’S WESTERN CONFERENCE). OVER THE NEXT THIRTY-FOUR YEARS, ACKLES PERFORMED VIRTUALLY EVERY ADMINISTRATIVE DUTY IN THE ORGANIZATION, FROM EQUIPMENT MANAGER TO GENERAL MANAGER.

DURING THE 1975 SEASON, ACKLES TOOK OVER AS GENERAL MANAGER AND OVER THE NEXT ELEVEN YEARS, WITH THE HELP OF A STRONG BOARD OF DIRECTORS, HE TURNED THE TEAM AROUND ON THE FIELD AND OFF. HE CONSULTED WITH THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT IN OBTAINING A MUCH NEEDED STADIUM (THE FIRST DOMED STADIUM IN CANADA), BUILT A NEW TRAINING FACILITY AND OFFICE COMPLEX WHILE FINISHING FIRST IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FOUR TIMES, PARTICIPATING IN THE GREY CUP IN 1983, AND WINNING IT ALL IN 1985.

THROUGHOUT HIS TENURE WITH THE B.C. LIONS, ACKLES WAS INVOLVED IN SEVERAL CFL COMMITTEES, AND ASSISTED IN REVISING MANY CFL REGULATIONS CONCERING ROSTERS, RESERVE LISTS AND INJURY LISTS. HE HAS A SOUND WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF ALL PHASES OF THE GAME AND CONTRIBUTED GREATLY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOOTBALL IN CANADA.

INDUCTED 2002 – BUILDER
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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Robbie
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An recent addendum to his Canadian Hall of Fame entry:

-------------------
THE CANADIAN FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM OFFERS OUR SYMPATHIES TO THE FAMILY OF BOB ACKLES.

MR ACKLES WAS INDUCTED IN THE HALL AS A BUILDER IN 2002.

HE WAS A TRUE GIANT IN THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL IN CANADA AND WILL BE MISSED.
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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As I mentioned in another post last night, today is the 5th anniversary of his passing. Since he liked Sinatra and he made it in his career pretty much everywhere he went, this one's for him:

Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
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