A statement from CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon on the passing of Tony Anselmo:

On behalf of our Board of Governors, and the entire Canadian Football League, I want to express our sympathies to the family and friends of Tony Anselmo, a true gentleman who did so much to build the Calgary Stampeders, strengthen our league, and lift the spirits of those of us who had the pleasure of meeting him.

Actively involved with the Stampeders since 1973 and the McMahon Stadium Society since 1974, Tony successfully raised funds for major improvements to the stadium, played a major role in the Save Our Stamps campaign of the mid-eighties, and was key to the successful transition of the football club’s transfer to private ownership.

A member of the Calgary Stampeder Football Club’s Wall of Fame, and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, Tony was inducted just this year into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, as a builder. Seeing a 91-year-old man stand alongside his fellow inductees -- former players Alondra Johnson, Jim Mills, Rudy Phillips and Glen Weir -- was a bit of an unusual sight. But Tony was as spry as he was slight, and he not only stole the show during the ceremonies; he stole hearts as well.

He will certainly be missed at this year’s Grey Cup at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, a place where he did so much for our game and our league. And he will certainly be remembered.

A statement from the Calgary Stampeders on the passing of Tony Anselmo:

It is with deep regret that the Calgary Stampeders announce the passing of long-time team executive Tony Anselmo. A former president of both the Calgary Stampeder Football Club and the McMahon Stadium Society, Anselmo passed away on Tuesday evening. He was 91.
 
Anselmo was first elected to the Stampeders board of directors in 1967 and he served the football club in numerous capacities, including as club president in 1973-74, over the next four decades. As president of the McMahon Stadium Society, he was instrumental in the major improvements to the stadium in the mid-1970s. He played an instrumental role in the two Save Our Stampeders campaigns, the first in the mid-1980s and the other in 1994.
 
For his long service to the Stampeders and the CFL, Anselmo in September was inducted in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a builder.
 
A native of Michel, B.C., Anselmo was a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II and served in Italy and the Middle East. His numerous awards and honours include the Canada Medal of the Order of Canada in 1975.
 
He joined Canada Safeway as a clerk in 1938 and steadily rose through the ranks — store manager, district manager, zone manager — to eventually become president and chairman of the board. Anselmo also served on several committees for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary and McMahon Stadium was the site of the opening and closing ceremonies for the Games.
 
“Tony certainly left a big print wherever he went,” said Stampeders executive vice-president and long-time associate Stan Schwartz. “From his rise through the business world to his dedication to football to his amazing spirit of volunteerism, he was an amazing person and I’m proud to have had him as a mentor and as a friend.”
 
Anselmo is survived by his wife Minerva, his son Garry and his daughters Dale and Toni. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.