The Toronto Amateur Athletic Club (TAAC) or Torontos was an athletics organization in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club fielded teams in various sports, including ice hockey and rugby football. The Toronto Amateur Athletic Club also had a gymnasium on Ossington Avenue and a boxing club.[1]
| Established | 1908 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1911 |
| Based in | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Home stadium | Rosedale Field |
| League | Ontario Rugby Football Union |
| League titles | 2 (1908, 1910) |
History edit
The Toronto Athletic Club was founded in the 1800s as an unincorporated association. In the 1882 directory, its office is at 185 Yonge Street. In 1890, its office was at 25 King Street West, and its grounds were at 10 Elm Avenue, then north-east of the city, at the intersection of Elm and Sherbourne Street.[2] By 1892, the Club had incorporated and had moved to 149 College Street, a building designed by architect E. J. Lennox, and reputedly holding the first indoor swimming pool, as well as a gymnasium and billiards room.[3] The Club ran into financial difficulties around 1898, ceased operations and sold off the building. The contents were auctioned off in 1900.[4] From the demise of the Athletic Club, the Toronto Amateur Athletic Club was formed.
Football team edit
The Toronto Amateur Athletic Club's football club played in the Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) from 1908 to 1911.[5] The team won the ORFU championship in 1908 and 1910. After the 1911 the club became the Toronto Rowing and Athletic Association from 1912 to 1921.[6]
ORFU season-by-season edit
| Season | G | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 6 | 4 | 1st | won ORFU championship, lost eastern final to Hamilton Tigers, 31-8 |
| 1909 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 30 | 6 | 1st | lost ORFU playoff to Toronto Parkdale, 8-3 |
| 1910 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 78 | 46 | 10 | 1st | won ORFU championship, lost semi final to Toronto Varsity Blues, 22-3 |
| 1911 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 102 | 40 | 6 | 2nd | |
| TOTALS | 17 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 268 | 122 | 26 | 2 ORFU championships |
Ice hockey edit
The club iced teams in the junior, senior and intermediate divisions of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). A junior team was first fielded in 1894. An ice hockey team was first selected in 1888 from the club's members, and practiced at the Caledonian Rink.[7]
The club also set up a hockey team at Excelsior Rink on College Street for the Interprovincial Amateur Hockey Union.[8]
References edit
- ^ "Castilloux Gains Needed Weight for Bout With Mell on Friday". Montreal Gazette. May 14, 1946. p. 10.
- ^ The Toronto city directory for 1892. Might's Directory. 1892. p. 1360.
- ^ The Toronto city directory for 1899. Might's Directory. 1899. p. 1074.
- ^ "Suckling and Company, Sale by Auction". Toronto Daily Mail and Empire. June 18, 1900. p. 9.
- ^ "Torontos on CFLDB Statistics".
- ^ "Torontos on CFLDB Statistics".
- ^ Sandor, Steven (2007). Illustrated Guide to Hockey Sites & History: Toronto. Heritage House Publishing Co. p. 11.
- ^ Harper, Stephen J. (2013). A Great Game. Simon Schuster Canada. p. 169.