It Must Run In The Family

Congratulations to Toronto Sun Baseball scribe Bob Elliott on his induction into the media wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. On December 6, he was named winner of the Taylor Spink Award by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He is the first Canadian writer to join this prestigious group.

Reading material on Bob, it is interesting to note he isn't the first member of the Elliott family to reach Hall of Fame status in a big league organization. This honour was first bestowed upon his grandfather Edwin "Chaucer" Elliott.



Ed Elliott

The elder Elliott played sports while studying medicine at Queen's University. A two-sport athlete, he played both football and hockey while attending school. In 1899, he won a hockey title with the Kingston Granites. Following his time in University, Elliott put together a semi-pro baseball team in Kingston. In 1906, Elliott coached the Toronto Argonauts and later in the campaign won a championship with Hamilton over McGill. This was followed by a stint with Montreal's AAA team as coach and subsequent role as an advisor. In 1911, he was appointed manager of the St. Thomas baseball club. A Toronto Sun article pointed out Elliott played on the diamond with the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team.

His claim to fame in the sports world came in hockey as an on-ice official. His participation as a referee came in 1903. During his time in this capacity with the OHA, Elliott gained the reputation as being a solid referee who knew the rules of the game and how to implement them.

Ed Elliott passed away in 1913 suffering from cancer. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961.