Jack Hamilton | |
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| Born | John Welch Hamilton June 11, 1886 Caledonia, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | August 5, 1976 (aged 90) Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Lumber company manager, school teacher, politician |
| Known for | |
| Awards | Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, King George VI Coronation Medal |
John Welch Hamilton (June 11, 1886 – August 5, 1976) was a Canadian sports executive. He served as president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) from 1930 to 1932, president of the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada (AAU of C) from 1936 to 1938, and was a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee for 17 years. His leadership of the CAHA and the AAU of C coincided with efforts to maintain amateurism and combat growing professionalism in sport. He appointed a committee to establish better relations between the CAHA and professional leagues, and praised the players and teams for quality hockey and growth of the amateur game in Canada despite the competition. He favoured professionals in one sport playing as amateurs in another, and took charge of the AAU of C at a time when the CAHA, the Canadian Amateur Basketball Association, and the Canadian Amateur Lacrosse Association challenged the definition of amateur, and later broke away from the AAU of C which wanted to hold onto purist ideals of amateurism.
Hamilton served two years as president of the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association, and had multiple terms as president of the Southern Saskatchewan Hockey League. He operated the Queen City Gardens for 11 years, and helped organized the construction of ice hockey rinks in Saskatoon, Regina and Moose Jaw. He was the secretary and treasurer of the Regina Roughriders from 1922 to 1938, sat on the rules committee for the Canadian Rugby Union, and served as president of both the Saskatchewan Amateur Rugby Union and the Western Interprovincial Football Union. His career in sports was recognized with the King George VI Coronation Medal in 1937, and induction into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.