David West Passes
Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 1:59 pm
Davey West passed away on December 23rd. He was 78 years old. Davey played in the CFL from the late forties to the early sixties and was on four Grey Cup championship teams.
I had never heard of Davey West until he walked into my office looking for a job in 1994 and worked for me for a year before decideding to retire and travel. He loved travelling and visited 55 different countries in his lifetime....fascinating guy.
Davey played for the Eskimos for two Grey Cup championships and won his third and fourth championships with the Toronto Argonauts and the Ottawa Roughriders. He also had stints with our Leos, Calgary, Edmonton, and Hamilton as a punt returner/reciever over his 16 year CFL career.
He set a record 112 yard kickoff return in 1952 while playing for Calgary, a record which held until 1971. Davey wasn't tall but he was lightning fast, shifty, and tough and an all around athlete. He played rugby in Ontario in 1958, winning the Ontario Rugby League MVP award before coming out of retirment to win his last Grey Cup championship with Ottawa.
He played old timers hockey until he was 75 years old and often told me some hilarious stories about playing old timers hockey with Howie Meeker. He was a fascinating guy and very nice man... he once showed me some old football clips of his playing days when I asked if he had any memorobilia...and he was like lightning in a bottle.
A CFL veteran many of you may not have heard of but someone you all would have been impressed to meet. I feel fortunate that I had that opportunity.
I had never heard of Davey West until he walked into my office looking for a job in 1994 and worked for me for a year before decideding to retire and travel. He loved travelling and visited 55 different countries in his lifetime....fascinating guy.
Davey played for the Eskimos for two Grey Cup championships and won his third and fourth championships with the Toronto Argonauts and the Ottawa Roughriders. He also had stints with our Leos, Calgary, Edmonton, and Hamilton as a punt returner/reciever over his 16 year CFL career.
He set a record 112 yard kickoff return in 1952 while playing for Calgary, a record which held until 1971. Davey wasn't tall but he was lightning fast, shifty, and tough and an all around athlete. He played rugby in Ontario in 1958, winning the Ontario Rugby League MVP award before coming out of retirment to win his last Grey Cup championship with Ottawa.
He played old timers hockey until he was 75 years old and often told me some hilarious stories about playing old timers hockey with Howie Meeker. He was a fascinating guy and very nice man... he once showed me some old football clips of his playing days when I asked if he had any memorobilia...and he was like lightning in a bottle.
A CFL veteran many of you may not have heard of but someone you all would have been impressed to meet. I feel fortunate that I had that opportunity.