Former CFL player, executive Lyle Bauer dead at age 65
Lyle Bauer, a former CFL player and executive, has died. He was 65.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the team Bauer played for and later served as CEO, announced Bauer's death on its Instagram page Wednesday.
Bauer, a Saskatoon native, played his entire 10-year CFL career as an offensive lineman with the Blue Bombers (1982-91). He was named the team's top offensive lineman in 1988 and won three Grey Cups with the Blue Bombers (1984, 1988, 1990).
Bauer, who played collegiately at Weber State in Utah, was inducted into the Blue Bombers Hall of Fame in 1998.
After retiring as a player, Bauer became Winnipeg's assistant GM in 1992, a position he held for three seasons. He returned five years later in 2000 as team president/CEO with the franchise struggling financially.
Bauer helped the community-owned club regain its footing, on and off the field. During his front-office tenure, the Bombers reached the Grey Cup four times (1992-93, 2001, 2007).
Bauer helped create the Never Alone Foundation in 2004 after being diagnosed with throat cancer. The foundation assists cancer patients and their families in their battle with the disease.
"Lyle Bauer played a significant role for the Blue Bombers during his time with the club as a player, assistant general manager and team president," Bombers president/CEO Wade Mille said. "He helped guide the team through some difficult challenges at the turn of the millennium and was a key component in the franchise's rebirth in the early 2000s.
"Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family, his friends across the Canadian Football League and those he helped through the Never Alone Foundation."
Bauer resigned from the Bombers on Dec. 17, 2009. In January 2010, the Calgary Stampeders announced the hiring of Bauer as their CEO and president.
Bauer remained with the Stampeders until January 2013.
John Hufnagel, Calgary's special adviser, was a teammate of Bauer's in Winnipeg and served as the Stampeders GM and head coach while Bauer was the franchise's president.
"I greatly enjoyed working with Lyle, both as a teammate and in management," Hufnagel said in a statement. "He was excellent in both roles and he was a great friend.
"On behalf of the Stampeders organization, I offer condolences to Lyle's wife Heidi and their children as well as to all other members of his family and his many friends."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING 122 active wildfires burning across Canada, 32 considered 'out of control'
The 2024 wildfire season has begun, and it's shaping up to follow last year's unprecedented destruction in kind, with thousands of square kilometres already consumed.
B.C. parents sentenced to 15 years for death of 6-year-old boy
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has sentenced the mother and stepfather of a six-year-old boy who died from blunt-force trauma in 2018 to 15 years in prison.
Veteran TSN sportscaster Darren Dutchyshen has died
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
'More aggressive': Tocchet shifts lineups as Canucks get ready to take on Oilers in Vancouver
As the Canucks prepare to take on the Oilers for Game 5, Vancouver head coach Rick Tocchet is making changes to the team's lineup.
Police issue Canada-wide warrant for Regina homicide suspect
Police have issued a Canada-wide warrant for a man wanted in a homicide which occurred in Regina on May 12.
Kevin Spacey receives star support as he fights to get his career back
Kevin Spacey is pushing back on the 'rush to judgment' against him and is being backed by some big names as he seeks to reclaim his acting career.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
Speaker cuts ties with Sask. Party, alleges he faced threats, harassment from gov't MLAs
The Speaker of the Saskatchewan Legislature Randy Weekes has severed ties with the Sask. Party after accusing some members of harassment and intimidation tactics, including a situation he claimed saw the Government House Leader bring a hunting rifle to the legislative building.
A Toronto man killed his mother and decapitated her. His lawyers argue it wasn't murder
A ‘lifetime of abuse’ led Dallas Ly to snap and repeatedly stab his mother inside their Leslieville apartment in 2022 but he never intended to kill her, his defence lawyers argued during his murder trial in Toronto on Thursday.