John Forzani

John Forzani (April 5, 1947 – October 30, 2014) was a Canadian businessman, former Canadian Football League (CFL) player, and CFL team owner. He was the chairman and co-founder of FGL Sports.

John Forzani
Born	(1947-04-05)April 5, 1947 Calgary, Alberta
Died	October 30, 2014(2014-10-30) (aged 67) Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Nationality	Canadian
Alma mater	Utah State University
Occupation(s)	football player, owner, businessman
Football career
No. 54     Calgary Stampeders
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	FGL Sports
Career highlights and awards
Grey Cup champion (1971)

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.^[1]

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.^[1]

In 2001, the Retail Council of Canada recognized Forzani's work in leading FGL Sports (then known as the Forzani Group) to outstanding business success. In recognition of this accomplishment he was presented with the Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year Award.^[2]

In 2005, he became a part owner of the Calgary Stampeders.^[1] 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.^[3] Joe and Tom also attended Utah State University.^[4] Forzani died of a heart attack on October 30, 2014.^[5]