Bob Cosgrove
Toronto Daily Star, 16 October 1942
Bob Cosgrove (1915-1981) played for various Toronto-based football teams in the 1940s, including the Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers (called the Balm Balm Balmies in this photo).
The Ontario Rugby Football Union, abbreviated O.R.F.U., was the last amateur football league in Canada; as you can guess from the name, it was based in Ontario. During the war, after the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union suspended its league play, many military teams were formed that played in the O.R.F.U. One of these teams, the Toronto RCAF Hurricanes, won the Grey Cup in 1942, becoming the last amateur team to do so.
The O.R.F.U. competed for the Grey Cup until 1954, by which time the I.R.F.U. (later to become the East Division of the Canadian Football League) and the Western Interprovincial Football Union (later to become the West Division of the CFL) had become fully professional. The O.R.F.U. ceased to exist in 1974.
Created April 15, 2025.