George Depres, coach of the Winnipeg Rods for nine years, had difficulty in ranking the teams that he guided to the Canadian Junior Football Championship finals. “I guess you have to single out the 1955 Rods, because they were the first to win the national title, but we really were part of an organization that was positive in many ways for so many years,” recalls Depres. In 1954 and ‘57, they lost in the Canadian finals to Windsor AKO’s and Toronto Parkdale Lions. The Rods won their second and third championships, beating the Parkdale Lions in 1956 and the Montreal Rosemount Bombers in 1961.
The Rods were established in 1946. They quickly became known as the “clenched fisters” for their aggressive, hard-hitting style, and that became the team’s symbol throughout its successful history. The tradition of the Rods was nurtured by people like Art Ceretti, Leo Dadalt, Leo Hunter, Chick O’Connell, “Buffy” Gray, Gord Osler, Harry Cholakis and “Hap” Hopkinson.
In 1953, the Rods joined Weston Wildcats, Saskatoon Hilltops, and Regina Rams to form the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League. After reaching the national final in 1954, and absorbing the bitter disappointment of a 13-9 loss in Windsor, the Rods were faced with a serious rebuilding chore the next season.
In 1955 the Rods finished the regular schedule one game behind the Regina Rams, with a 6-and-2 record. They met the Weston Wildcats in a two-game total point semi-final, winning 13-10 and 7-0 in a pair of bruising games. The next step in capturing the Manitoba- Saskatchewan crown was a two-game final against the Rams in Regina. The Rods took the first game in a 24-11 victory. The second game was played in wet and windy conditions in Winnipeg, but Regina’s 13-12 edge was not enough and the Rods won the series 36-24.
“We advanced to play the Edmonton Wildcats in the Western final,” remembered Depres. “It was a brutal November day in Edmonton, and felt like it was 30 below. In that kind of weather you never know what will happen, but our ground game did the job. Our guys ran all over them.” The Rods won 34-0.
The Rods played host to the previous year’s conquerors, the Windsor AKO’s, on the frozen natural turf at Winnipeg Stadium in the Canadian final on Saturday, November 19th, 1955. The Rods scored a hard-fought 19-13 victory and the first ever Canadian Junior Football Championship for a team from Manitoba.
TeamRoster:
Walt Bilicki, David Blanchard, Leo Bouchard, Rod Bower, Steve Dankewich, Ed Danylchuk, Joel Davidson, Irv Foster, Arnie Harbour, William Kehrer, Tony Kehrer, Bob Kirvan, Stan Kucharchuk, Tony Lamonica, Barry McBride, Barry McQueen, Tom Metcalfe, Bruce Palmer, Don Peters, Cornell Piper, Ed Puchniak, Len Romanica, Florian Soble, Jack Soles, Lou Spado, Murray Stalker, Bill Swystun, Garth Tencha, Len Thibault, Eugene Wlasiuk, George Yee, George Depres--Head Coach, Harry Cholakis--Assistant Coach, Jeep Woolley--Assistant Coach, Art Ceretti--General Manager/President, Leo DaDalt--Vice-President, Ross MacIver--Team Manager, Jack (Pop) Swarbrick--Trainer, Bill Empey--Equipment Manager, Dave Archer--Equipment, Don McCauley--Equipment, Doug Ceretti--Mascot.
