William “Deacon” White

Multisport Builder - Inducted 1990

William "Deacon" White settled in Edmonton in the early 1900s. For the next twenty years, he became instrumental in developing sports in the area. In 1907, he founded the Western Canada Baseball League and served as player, coach, and manager of the local team. Football followed a year later, and in 1921 the Edmonton Eskimos met the Toronto Argonauts in the Grey Cup. Although they were beaten, the Eskimos became the first western team to challenge for the Grey Cup. William "Deacon" White also was the coach and manager for the Eskimos Hockey Club. Under his direction, the team made it to the semi-finals of the Allan Cup Series in 1913.