George Lewis Capwell Cronin (July 1, 1902 – January 7, 1970), the American manager of the Empresa Eléctrica del Ecuador ("Electric Company of Ecuador") in Guayaquil, Ecuador, founded Club Sport Emelec, a sports club, in 1929. Emelec, named for the first syllable of each word in the company's name,[1] is one of Ecuador's leading football clubs.
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Lewis Capwell Cronin | ||
| Date of birth | July 1, 1902 | ||
| Place of birth | Olean, New York, United States | ||
| Date of death | 7 January 1970 (aged 67) | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1929–1946 | Emelec | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1929–1946 | Emelec | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Biography
editCapwell was born on July 1, 1902, in Olean, New York. He was known for his love of athletics, particularly American football, basketball, swimming, and baseball.[2] When he was young, he lived for a time in Panama, where his father was an engineer involved in the construction of the Panama Canal.[3]
He studied electrical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After graduating, he took a job as an assistant engineer at a power plant in Cienfuegos, Cuba. He later spent time in Panama.[3]
Standing over 1.8 meters (5.9 ft) tall and weighing over 91 kilograms (200 lb), Capwell was noted for his organizational and leadership skills.[2]
Emelec
editCapwell arrived in Guayaquil to work at Eléctrica on April 14, 1926.[3] Soon after arriving, he founded a sports club, named for the first syllable of each word in the company's name: Emelec.[1] He boxed and played basketball at the guard position; he organized basketball competitions at the company in 1927.[2] He played the catcher's position in baseball games. Potential members of the boxing club had to perform well in a fight against one of the club's experienced boxers in order to gain membership.
Capwell was not particularly interested in association football, but a request from the employees led him to found a team, particularly since the workers were not particularly enthusiastic about Emelec's other sports.[1]
The football team, composed solely of Eléctrica workers, was founded on April 28, 1929.[3] On September 17, 1929, the team—with Capwell on the field—defeated Vanguard 14–12 at a tournament in Guayaquil. It won its first title, a local league made up of business-backed teams in Guayaquil, in 1933.[1]
Emelec became Ecuador's first national football champions in 1957, and as of 2021[update] they have won 14 national titles.
Emelec currently plays in the Estadio George Capwell, built in 1945 in Guayaquil. Capwell played in the first game staged in the stadium, a baseball match against Oriente.
References
edit- ^ a b c d Keyes, David; Rigazio, Emilio (2007-06-07). "George Capwell, the American Founder of Emelec". Culture of Soccer. David Keyes. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
- ^ a b c "George Capwell, padre de los eléctricos" [George Capwell, father of the Electrics]. Idolos del Astillero (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2010-11-13. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
- ^ a b c d Christian (2007-10-27). "George Lewis Capwell: el padre de EMELEC" [George Lewis Capwell: the father of EMELEC]. emeleXista.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2010-11-30.