Les Lear
| Date of birth | August 22, 1918 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Grafton, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Date of death | January 5, 1979 (aged 60) |
| Place of death | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Offensive tackle |
| University | Manitoba |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 1948–1950 | Calgary Stampeders (HC) |
| As player | |
| 1938–1943 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| 1944–1946 | Cleveland/L.A. Rams |
| 1947 | Detroit Lions |
| 1948–1950 | Calgary Stampeders |
| Career highlights and awards | |
CFL All-Star - 1941, 1943 | |
| Career stats | |
| Occupation | Trainer and owner |
| Major racing wins | |
| Major U.S. wins: Suwannee River Stakes (1962) Saratoga Special Stakes (1964) Laurel Futurity Stakes (1964) Garden State Stakes (1964) Sorority Stakes (1965) Kentucky Oaks (1966)
Major Canadian Wins: | |
Leslie Lear (August 22, 1918 – January 5, 1979) was a National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL) player and coach as well as an owner and trainer of Thoroughbred race horses.
Football[edit]
He grew up in Manitoba, Canada, where he played guard at the University of Manitoba. Lear started his professional football career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League and helped the team to two Grey Cup victories. In 1944, he signed with the Cleveland Rams of the NFL becoming the first Canadian-trained player to play in the NFL. He would play a total of 4 seasons in the NFL. After his stint in the NFL, Lear returned to Canada where he coached the Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders to an undefeated season in 1948- the only CFL team to go undefeated in a season.[1]
CFL coaching record[edit]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Result | |||
| CGY | 1948 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1st in Western Interprovincial Football Union | 3 | 0 | Won Grey Cup | |
| CGY | 1949 | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 1st in Western Interprovincial Football Union | 2 | 1 | Lost in Grey Cup | |
| CGY | 1950 | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 4th in Western Interprovincial Football Union | ||||
| Total | 29 | 11 | 0 | .725 | 5 | 1 | 1 Grey Cup | |||
Horse racing[edit]
Following his retirement from football, Les Lear became involved in Thoroughbred horse racing both as a horse trainer and an owner.
Later life and death[edit]
Lear was elected into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1974. He died of kidney failure on January 5, 1979.[2]
Lear was posthumously inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ "The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- ^ "Les Lear". Associated Press. January 6, 1979. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ "Les Lear". Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame - Honoured members database. Sport Manitoba. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
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- 1918 births
- 1979 deaths
- American football offensive linemen
- Canadian football offensive linemen
- Canadian horse trainers
- Canadian players of American football
- Canadian racehorse owners and breeders
- Calgary Stampeders coaches
- Calgary Stampeders players
- Cleveland Rams players
- Manitoba Bisons football players
- Winnipeg Blue Bombers players
- Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Sportspeople from Manitoba
- Deaths from kidney failure
- People from Grafton, North Dakota
- Canadian football offensive lineman stubs