John Forzani

John Forzani

Calgary Stampeders
Date of birth	(1947-04-05)April 5, 1947
Place of birth	Calgary, Alberta
Date of death
Place of death	Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)	Owner/OL
Career history
As administrator
2005–2012	Calgary Stampeders (co-owner)
As player
1971–1976	Calgary Stampeders
As business owner
1974–2014	Forzani Group

John Forzani (April 5, 1947 – October 31, 2014) was a Canadian businessman, former Canadian Football League (CFL) player, and CFL team owner. He was the Chairman and co-founder of the Forzani Group.

Early life

Born in Calgary, Alberta, he received a degree in business administration from Utah State University in 1971. In 1971, he joined the Calgary Stampeders as an offensive lineman and was part of the winning team of the 59th Grey Cup. He played football until 1976.

Career

In 1974, he opened a 1,200-square-foot (110 m²) store called Forzani's Locker Room in Calgary. In 1994, he acquired Sports Experts Inc. for $20 million becoming Canada's largest sporting goods retailer.

In 2001, the Retail Council of Canada recognized Forzani's work in leading the Forzani Group to outstanding business success. In recognition of this accomplishment he was presented with the Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year Award.

In 2005, he became a part owner of the Calgary Stampeders. In June 2005, Concordia University conferred an honorary doctorate at the convocation ceremony for the John Molson School of Business, and he gave the address to the graduates.

Personal

John and two of his brothers, Joe and Tom, all played together with the Calgary Stampeders. Joe and Tom also attended Utah State University. Forzani died of a heart attack on October 30, 2014.

External links

• CFLapedia bio