Canadian sports legend Gerry James has died at the age of 89.

The Nanoose Bay resident near Nanaimo is known for his athletic excellence in football and hockey and is the only person to play in both the CFL's Gray Cup and the NHL's Stanley Cup finals in the same season. He died on February 13 at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Good friend John Ogle was saddened to hear of James' passing.

“I met him when I interviewed him for a feature on Shaw Cable a few years ago when he first came out here,” said Ogle, a sports trivia expert. “I used to watch him play for the Toronto Marlies in the 50s. We are good friends with his wife Marg. He told quite a story. He was probably the greatest athlete Canada ever had in the ’50s and early ’60s.”

In the book Kid Dynamite – Gerry James Storywriter Ron Smith of Nanoose Bay indicated James joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at age 17 and became not only the youngest athlete to play in the CFL but also one of the toughest athletes of his time.

Among James' notable accomplishments in gridiron sports include four Gray Cup championships in 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1962, two scoring titles, and twice being awarded the Schenley Award as the top Canadian player in the CFL in 1954 and 1957. Once upon a time , he holds 18 CFL records as a running back and twice rushed for more than 1000 yards. He still holds the record for most postseason games with 37.

James is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame along with his father “Dynamite” Eddie James. They are the only father and son named to the HOF.

In 1954, James was called up from juniors to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He won the Memorial Cup with the Toronto Marlies in 1955.

James played in the Stanley Cup final with the Leafs against the Montreal Canadiens in 1960. He was a member of the famous “Puke Line” for Toronto in 1959-60, along with Duke Edmundson and Johnny Wilson. He played with Frank Mahovlich, Tim Horton, Dick Duff, Billy Harris, Alan Stanley and Johnny Bower and was coached by Howie Meeker.

The Winnipeg Football Club also mourns James' passing.

“Gerry James was a star in two sports during his time playing and his skill, tenacity and toughness were hallmarks of the legendary teams that Bud Grant coached in the late 1950s and early 1960s,” said Wade Miller, WFC president and CEO at the event the. the web page.

Ogle said James is very involved in the community. He volunteers at the Mount Arrowsmith Salvation Army, helping out in the soup kitchen as well as manning the kettle at the PetroCan gas station in Nanoose Bay every Christmas. He has also been a coach for Special Olympics Oceanside.

“He's a good guy,” Ogle said. “He was a tough athlete (and) a good person.”