.png)
Hugh Stirling
Born: October 23, 1907
Birthplace: London, Ontario
Died: May 28, 1994
Inducted: 1975
Sport: Football
Category: Athlete
Highlights
1928
Dominion Junior Football Championship, St. Thomas Tigers
1929-1937
Sarnia Imperials
1932-1937
ORFU All-Star
1934-1936
Eastern All-Star
1934, 1936
Grey Cup - Sarnia Imperials
1936
ORFU MVP1938
Lionel Conacher Trophy
Biography
The greatest punter ever to grace Sarnia's gridiron, Hugh "Bummer" Stirling was a name legendary in southern Ontario throughout the 1930s. Stirling started his football career playing with the Junior St. Thomas Tigers, leading them to the Dominion Junior Football Championships in 1928. He joined the Sarnia Imperials in 1929, an Ontario Rugby Football Union team that was sponsored by Imperial Oil and guaranteed a company job for all players. Stirling starred with the Imperials until 1937, during which time he led them to the provincial championships nearly every year, as well as two Grey Cups in 1934 and 1936. A fierce halfback known for his incredible punting skills, Stirling was famous for kicking the longest punt in Sarnia's football history - 115 yards. This decisive 60-mintue man was an ORFU All-Star every year from 1932 to 1937, an Eastern All-Star from 1934 to 1936, and the league's most valuable player in 1936. In 1938, Stirling was the first football player to receive the Lionel Conacher Trophy as the Canadian Press' top choice for Canada's male athlete of the year. He retired from the field at the onset of the Second World War, served overseas with the Canadian Armed Forces, and then moved to Alberta to continue his work with Imperial Oil. In 1966, he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
-webclip.png)