Leslie Lear (August 22, 1918 – January 5, 1979) was a National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL) player and coach as well as an owner and trainer of Thoroughbred race horses.
| Date of birth | August 22, 1918 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Grafton, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Date of death | January 5, 1979 (aged 60) |
| Place of death | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Offensive tackle |
| Canada university | Manitoba |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 1948–1950 | Calgary Stampeders (HC) |
| As player | |
| 1938–1943 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| 1944–1946 | Cleveland/L.A. Rams |
| 1947 | Detroit Lions |
| 1948–1950 | Calgary Stampeders |
| Career highlights and awards | |
CFL All-Star - 1941, 1943 | |
| Career stats | |
| Occupation | Trainer and owner |
| Major racing wins | |
| Major U.S. wins: Suwannee River Stakes (1962) Saratoga Special Stakes (1964) Laurel Futurity Stakes (1964) Garden State Stakes (1964) Sorority Stakes (1965) Kentucky Oaks (1966)
Major Canadian Wins: | |
Football
editHe grew up in Manitoba, Canada, where he played guard at the University of Manitoba. Lear started his professional football career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League and helped the team to two Grey Cup victories. In 1944, he signed with the Cleveland Rams of the NFL becoming the first Canadian-trained player to play in the NFL. He would play a total of 4 seasons in the NFL. After his stint in the NFL, Lear returned to Canada where he coached the Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders to an undefeated season in 1948- the only CFL team to go undefeated in a season.[1]
CFL coaching record
edit| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Result | |||
| CGY | 1948 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1st in Western Interprovincial Football Union | 3 | 0 | Won Grey Cup | |
| CGY | 1949 | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 1st in Western Interprovincial Football Union | 2 | 1 | Lost in Grey Cup | |
| CGY | 1950 | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 4th in Western Interprovincial Football Union | ||||
| Total | 29 | 11 | 0 | .725 | 5 | 1 | 1 Grey Cup | |||
Horse racing
editFollowing his retirement from football, Les Lear became involved in Thoroughbred horse racing both as a horse trainer and an owner.
Later life and death
editLear was elected into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1974. He died of kidney failure on January 5, 1979.[2]
Lear was posthumously inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.[3]
References
edit- ^ "The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ "Les Lear". Associated Press. January 6, 1979. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
- ^ "Les Lear". Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame - Honoured members database. Sport Manitoba. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
 | This biographical article relating to a Canadian football offensive lineman is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |