Jake Gaudaur, Jr., commissioner of the Canadian Football League from 1968 to 1984, was both the architect who shaped the league and the glue that held it together through during his tenure. A talented all-round athlete, Gaudaur was a national rowing and lacrosse champion before devoting his life to football. Between 1940 and 1953, he played for football teams in Hamilton, Toronto, and Montreal, as well as for a war-time Royal Canadian Air Force team. Gaudaur collected two Grey Cups, one in 1942 with the RCAF Hurricanes and one in 1953 with the Hamilton Tiger Cats. Gaudaur was named Director of the Tiger Cats in 1952 and president in 1954, and from 1956 through to 1967, he held the joint position of president and general manager of the club. Under his leadership, Hamilton claimed nine Eastern Conference titles and four Grey Cups. Gaudaur continued to work his way up the CFL ladder, first as president of the Eastern Conference in 1959, and then as president of the league in 1962. He was appointed commissioner of the CFL in 1968. During his 16-year tenure as commissioner, Gaudaur did wonders for the league. By 1983, new television contracts had increased revenue six-fold, while game attendance had nearly doubled. Gaudaur was also instrumental in establishing a Player Pension Plan and aided greatly in the founding of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum. Above all, he kept the CFL strictly Canadian. Gaudaur was appointed Governor the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1981 and took on the duties of chairman of the board in 1984. His fundraising efforts resulted in a $1.25 million renovation programme for the Hall to make it one of the most advanced institutions of its kind at the time.