Chester “Ches” McCance graduated from junior football in Winnipeg to play with the local pro team in 1937 as a two-way end and handled the placekicking duties. He enjoyed great success with the Blue Bombers (1937-41 & 1945) and RCAF Bombers (1942-43). McCance was voted to the Western Conference All-Star Team in 1940-41 and in the Grey Cup final that year, kicked two field goals (including the winning score) and two converts in Winnipeg’s 18-16 victory over Ottawa. He joined the Montreal Alouettes as a player and Assistant Coach when the team was formed after World War II in 1946 and continued to enjoy success through to 1950.
In addition to his 1939 & ’41 Grey Cups with Winnipeg, McCance joined an elite group winning a CFL championship with both Eastern and Western squads when he contributed 7 points in Montreal’s 28-15 victory over the Calgary Stampeders in 1949. In his eight Grey Cup final appearances, he scored 17 points. An exceptional all round athlete, he played Third on Ken Weldon’s Quebec entry in the 1952 & ’53 Briers, losing out in the play-offs in the latter year. Ches McCance was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Football
Hall of Fame in 1976.
b. February 19, 1915
d. May 8, 1956
