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News October 26, 2020

Argos mourn the passing of former owner and Canadian Football Hall of Famer David Braley

B.C. Lions and Toronto Argonauts owner, Senator David Braley speaks after the CFL announced Vancouver will host the 2014 Grey Cup championship football game during a news conference in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday March 8, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

@ArgonautsMR

TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts are pained to announce that former owner and Canadian Football Hall of Famer David Braley passed away peacefully this morning at his home in Burlington, Ontario.

Mr. Braley purchased the Argonauts in 2010 and would own the team for five years with his crowning achievement in Double Blue occurring on home soil when the Argos won the 100th Grey Cup in 2012 in Toronto.

Born in Montreal but raised in Hamilton, Mr. Braley purchased the B.C. Lions in 1997 and has been the owner ever since, capturing three Grey Cup championships along the way in 2000, 2006 and 2011. Previous to owning the Lions, he owned the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1989 until 1992 when the team returned to community ownership. The great owner’s CFL roots did not stop there as the McMaster University alum served as the chair of the CFL’s Board of Governors and interim commissioner between March and November of 2002. Mr. Braley was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

The 79-year-old’s interest in sports was not just limited to football as he kept soccer alive in B.C., purchasing the Vancouver 86ers (A-League), who would later become the Whitecaps (USL, MLS), in 1997, owning the team until 2000. Beyond that, he was a driving force behind Southern Ontario’s successful bid for the 2015 Pan Am Games and helping bring the 2012 World Cycling Championships to Hamilton.

A life seemingly filled with success at every turn went beyond the realm of sports and into politics in 2010 after the CFL champion was appointed to the Canadian Senate by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Mr. Braley would serve in this position for nearly three years before retiring from the government. In 2019 he would receive one of the highest honours this country bestows, the Order of Canada, given to Canadians who make a major difference to the country through life-long contributions in every field of endeavour. Those endeavours included philanthropy as he donated over $125 million to various organizations over the years including Hamilton Health Sciences, St. Joseph’s Healthcare and McMaster’s medical school and athletic departments.

The Toronto Argonauts Football Club extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Braley’s family and friends.