George Gross

Who was George Gross?

George Gross, O.Ont was a Canadian sport journalist at the Toronto Sun, who was involved in Canadian Soccer in the early years of his life in Canada, both as a player and a journalist.

In 1957, Gross covered Canada's FIFA World Cup qualifying matches in Mexico, and practiced with the national team. One year later he was in Sweden for the 1958 FIFA World Cup finals and interviewed the 17-year-old Pelé. Between 1953 and 1974 he published the Soccer and Sports News and in 1961 he was one of the founders of the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League.

In 1985, Gross was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, winning the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award. In 1994, he received the Olympic Order, and he was inducted into the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2003, he was presented with the Order of Ontario. In 2005, Gross was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, and on April 2006, Gross was inducted as a builder into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.

In 2004, the Toronto Sun began its annual George Gross/Toronto Sun Sportsperson of the Year award.

Shortly after his death in 2008, the Canadian Soccer Association created the George Gross Memorial Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player of the annual Canadian Championship.