When he quarterbacked the Winnipeg Rods junior football club he also was an assistant coach at St. Paul’s College. While he was playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers he was an assistant with the Rods. And when he was a successful head coach with the Rods there was some overlap when he coached minor hockey at Deer Lodge.

After a knee injury cut short his playing career, Depres coached the Rods in five Junior Canadian Championship games. Winning in 1955, ’56 and ’61.They were finalists in 1954 and ’59.

In the boardroom, Depres revived the dormant University of Manitoba football program during the 1962- 66 period. This resulted in the Western Canadian championship in 1966 (there was no national championship at the time) and laid the groundwork for the 1969 and ’70 national CIAU titles.

In the 1960s he was part of a group that purchased the St. Boniface Saints (formerly Winnipeg Rangers) and, in addition to being an owner, he became a board member and, eventually, president of the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association (now Hockey Manitoba). He was a key member of the organizing committee that brought the World Junior Hockey Championship to Manitoba.

From 1979-94, Depres was General Manager of Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation. Under the WEC banner were such facilities as Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg Arena, the Velodrome and the Highlander Sportsplex. It was a busy period. Included were the expansion of the Arena in 1979 to accommodate the Jets’ move to the NHL, the construction of the Blue & Gold banquet facility, the conversion of the Highlander from a curling club to a multi-sport facility for curling, hockey and figure skating, and alterations in the NW corner of the Stadium to provide a home for the Winnipeg Goldeyes who had returned to the Northern League in 1994. Also during Depres’ tenure, Select-A-Seat, the first computerized ticketing system was developed.

“I thank St. Paul’s College for giving me my start in playing, coaching and in my walk of life. And many friends including Paul Cholakis and Jeep Wooley who I started out with and who remain friends 60 years later,” Depres said. George Depres is 79, and despite failing eyesight, served as president of the Manitoba Hockey Foundation, from 1997 until 2006. He is also an active member of the Winnipeg Blue Bomber alumni and is now a deserving member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.