Cactus Jack should be properly honoured

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/05/2017 (3244 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Broadcaster John (Cactus Jack) Wells moved to Winnipeg in 1941 from British Columbia to take a job at CJRW.    

Cactus Jack, his wife Flicka and their three children — John, Janice, and Richard — first lived on Pinewood Drive in Sunny St. James.

 He began calling Winnipeg Blue Bombers on the radio and soon became the city’s best-known sportscaster, especially after he assumed control of broadcasting rights for the old Shea’s Amphitheatre and Osborne Stadium.

During the 1960s, Cactus hosted the CKY radio morning show and also presented the evening sports news on CJAY TV. For many Winnipeggers of a certain age, Cactus Jack was a constant presence, who ensured that sports remained fun. He gave his colleagues nicknames, encouraged football fans to honk their car horns for hard-working Bombers players with his Happy Honker award and reminded us that every day had “turned out nice again.”

During Wells’ 58 years in Winnipeg, the Blue Bombers won eight Grey Cups. In the final decade of his, two Grey Cup Games  were played at Winnipeg Stadium.

Cactus Jack is a member of the CFL, curling, and Manitoba Hockey halls of fame. He died on May 26, 1999.

His memory is honoured by the Eric and Jack Wells Foundation, named for him and his brother, Eric, who was editor of the Winnipeg Tribune.

The Foundation has honoured 141 Red River College journalism students in the past 25 years. The Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters’ Association’s Cactus Jack Wells Impact Award recognizes the Manitoba sporting event or team that has the greatest impact.

So why did the city of Winnipeg choose a street with no addresses to be called Cactus Jack’s Place?

Several Winnipeg sports teams have been called the Maroons. Between 1925 and 1929, a Winnipeg Maroons team played in Central Hockey League. During the 1950s and ’60s, the Maroons were a senior amateur team. On May 7, 1964, they capped off a 12-1 playoff run with a 5-3 win over a team from Woodstock, Ont., to win the Allan Cup.

Between 1902, and 1942, several Winnipeg professional baseball teams were called the Maroons. Between them, they won eight league championships.

In 1967, the street running east-west between the old Winnipeg Arena and Winnipeg Stadium was named Maroons Road. The Bombers, Jets and Red River Exhibition all had Maroons Road addresses.

Now that the Polo Park area has been completely remade, it is time to remember Cactus Jack and the Maroons teams by naming streets with actual addresses in their honour.

Fred Morris is a community correspondent for St. James. Reach him at fredmorris@hotmail.com