Braley helped keep CFL afloat
Montreal born but Hamilton raised, he had an enduring passion for Canadian football
David Braley, the Hamilton businessperson who owned three CFL franchises, has died. He was 79.
The B.C. Lions said in a statement that Braley died in his Burlington home Monday morning. A cause of death was not provided for the owner and chairperson of the Lions.
CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement Braley will “forever be remembered as a CFL legend.” He added Braley was “our champion in every sense of the word.”
“He also championed the CFL itself, as a member of its board of governors, its chair and as an interim commissioner,” Ambrosie said.
“Most of all, though, he championed an idea with passion and purpose: that the Grey Cup, the CFL and Canadian football play an incredibly important role in Canadian life and culture, and they deserve to be supported and cherished.”
Braley was born in Montreal but raised in Hamilton. After attending McMaster University, he began his business career with General Motors Acceptance Corporation in Hamilton before joining London Life Insurance.
He also bought William Orlick Limited (now Orlick Industries Ltd) — an auto parts manufacturer in Stoney Creek. He remained the company’s owner and president.
Braley entered the CFL in 1987 as the owner of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The franchise became community owned in 1990. But the resident of Burlington wasn’t gone long, returning to football ownership in 1997 when he bought the Lions.
He also owned soccer’s Vancouver 86ers and later the ALeague’s Vancouver Whitecaps, until 2000.
“David has been a proud and fiercely loyal owner of our team, a champion of the Canadian Football League, and a leader for whom his love of our game and our country went hand in hand and spanned decades. We share our deepest condolences with his family, friends and admirers,” Rick LeLacheur, president of the Lions, said in a statement.
“One of his final acts of devotion to Canadian football was a clear expression of his desire that the stability of our club be maintained through a smooth transition following his passing. We will work closely with David’s estate to follow that plan.”
Braley secured himself a unique position on the Canadian sports landscape in 2010 when he became the Toronto Argonauts’ owner, the only person in league history to own two franchises simultaneously.
That prompted media to suggest games involving the Argos and Lions were for the Braley Bowl.
Braley maintained ownership of the Argos until May 2015 when he announced the sale of the franchise to Bell and Larry Tanenbaum, the chair of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment.
Braley’s football teams have won four Grey Cups. B.C. has accounted for three of them (2000, 2006 and 2011) while Toronto captured the historic 100th Grey Cup in 2012.
Braley’s involvement in sport wasn’t limited to just football.
He served as chair of the 2003 world cycling championship in Hamilton and was a director of Ontario’s successful bid to host the 2015 Pan Am Games. He was a member of the board overseeing preparations for the Games but was forced to resign upon being appointed to the Senate in 2010 by then-prime minister Stephen Harper.