John Forzani - Misplaced Pages

Canadian football player and businessman

John Forzani
Born	(1947-04-05)April 5, 1947 Calgary, Alberta
Died	October 30, 2014(2014-10-30) (aged 67) Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Nationality	Canadian
Alma mater	Utah State University
Occupation(s)	football player, owner, businessman
Football career
No. 54 Calgary Stampeders
Career information
Position(s)	Owner, OL
Career history
As administrator
2005–2012	Calgary Stampeders (co-owner)
As player
1971–1976	Calgary Stampeders
As business owner
1974–2014	FGL Sports

John Forzani (April 5, 1947 – October 30, 2014) was a Canadian businessman, former Canadian Football League (CFL) player, and CFL team owner. He was the chairman and co-founder of FGL Sports.

Early life

Born in Calgary, Alberta, he received a degree in business administration from Utah State University in 1971. In 1971, he joined the Calgary Stampeders as an offensive lineman and was part of the winning team of the 59th Grey Cup. He played football until 1976.

Career

In 1974, he opened a 1,200-square-foot (110 m) store called Forzani's Locker Room in Calgary. In 1994, he acquired Sports Experts Inc. for $20 million becoming Canada's largest sporting goods retailer.

In 2001, the Retail Council of Canada recognized Forzani's work in leading FGL Sports (then known as the Forzani Group) to outstanding business success. In recognition of this accomplishment he was presented with the Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year Award.

In 2005, he became a part owner of the Calgary Stampeders. In June 2005, Concordia University conferred an honorary doctorate at the convocation ceremony for the John Molson School of Business, and he gave the address to the graduates.

Personal

John and two of his brothers, Joe and Tom, all played together with the Calgary Stampeders. Joe and Tom also attended Utah State University. Forzani died of a heart attack on October 30, 2014.

References

I was there
^ "Live And Learn: John Forzani". Canadian Business Online. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
"JOHN FORZANI, Chairman". Calgary Stampeders. Archived from the original on August 24, 2010.
"Late Calgary legend John Forzani's brain to be donated for research". calgarysun.com. November 4, 2014. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
"Forzani Brothers: Successful in Business". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
"Former Calgary Stampeder John Forzani dies after heart attack in California". Retrieved March 12, 2021.

External links

CFLapedia bio

v t e Calgary Stampeders 59th Grey Cup champions
Frank Andruski John Atamian Basil Bark Lanny Boleski James Bond David Crabbe Joe Forzani John Forzani Jim Furlong Wayne Harris Herm Harrison John Helton Jon Henderson Reggie Holmes Fred James Jerry Keeling Dennis Kemp Craig Koinzan Granville Liggins Jim Lindsey Rudy Linterman Brian Marcil Craig McLeod Jesse Mims Hugh McKinnis Al Rankin Larry Robinson Herb Schumm John Senst Gerry Shaw Jim Silye Howard Starks Dick Suderman Leo Taylor Bill Van Burkleo Terry Wilson Head coach: Jim Duncan

Calgary Stampeders 59th Grey Cup champions

Head coach: Jim Duncan

v t e Calgary Stampeders principal owners
Community owned (1945–1991) Larry Ryckman (1991–1996) Sig Gutsche (1996–2001) Michael Feterik (2001–2005) John Forzani, Ted Hellard, and Doug Mitchell (2005–2012) N. Murray Edwards and Calgary Sports and Entertainment (2012–present)

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