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Team Canada 1888 Inducted as a Team of Distinction Inducted in 2003 | CANADA TOURS BRITAIN IN 1888 For many years it has been considered that the record of the Canadian team that toured the British Isles in 1888 is one of the highlights of Canadian soccer history, when a group of "home grown" Canadians challenged and acquitted themselves nobly in the game's homeland. On this tour, which lasted 61 days, the team played 23 games, won nine and lost nine with five ties against some of the finest British teams of the day. The Canadians scored 39 goals and conceded 41. However, four of the defeats came in the last four games of the tour when the players were tired and injured and in some games guest players were needed to make up the eleven. In those last four games the Canadians scored two goals and conceeded seven. The players who made up this team were a very distinguished group of individuals indeed. Led by David Forsyth, one of the most outstanding Canadians of his day, both as a player, scholar and administrator in many fields, the team was based on players playing in the Western Football Association which had it's headquarters in Berlin, known today as Kitchener. Most of the players played in their younger days at Galt Collegiate Institute, known as Tassie's School, and at Berlin High School where Forsyth taught, and then later at the University of Toronto. Of the 17 who made the trip Henry Pirie, Walter Thomson and Edward Gordon became medical doctors, William Burnet, a dentist, and Alex Gibson a veterinarian. In addition Wilfrid Mustard became a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Alexander Garrett the sports editor of the Toronto Daily World newspaper, E.H. Webster a minister, and Carl Kranz, the mayor of Berlin. Some of the players made a second tour a Britain in 1891 after which Walter Bowman became the first player born outside of Britain to play for a team in England's Football League. The other members of the squad were Solomon Brubacher, a partner and secretary of the Dominion Button Manufacturers, Fred Killer, secretary of the Gerhard Heintzmann Company, Henry Bewell from Norwood, Ontario and T.W. Murray from Galt. Whether the idea for the trip originated with the Berlin Rangers, the senior team developed from the Berlin High School team, as seems likely, or elsewhere in the Western Football Association, doesn't much matter; certainly it was David Forsyth who was one of the originators, who carried out the lengthy planning and negotiating, managed the team and played centre forward. There were seven Rangers on the squad. Forsyth was the only member of the team who was not born in Canada, but was brought to this country when he was two years old. Organizing such a foray to the motherland of soccer in the days before easy electronic communication, lining up matches, accommodation and travel arrangements to cover a two month tour posed problems equal to the task of finding the 17 players who were required to satisfy three critical tests: be the best available at his position; be able to take time off for some 60 days of football; and, far from least, have the $200 needed for the expense of the trip. Recently the Canadian Mint issued a 50c coin commemorating this tour. 1888 Tour Results
In 1888 the English Football League was formed. Canada played three Football League teams Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion. 1888 - Player Biographies H. Bewell - Born: Canada. Club: Norwood High School. Half back. Pupil at Galt Collegiate Institute in 1882-83-84. Later a teacher at GCI in 1891-92. Original home between Uxbridge and Port Perry. Living in Renfrew in 1927 and Regina in 1929. Harry P. Bingham - Born: Canada. Died: Kitchener, Ontario, August 27, 1948. Kitchener. Club: Berlin Rangers. Forward. Member of the 1888 team that toured the British Isles. Living in Prescott, Ontario in 1929. Walter W. Bowman - Born: Canada, 1862. Forward, Berlin Rangers. Clubs: Accrington 1892, Ardwick 1892-94, Manchester City 1894 to 1900. Also a member of the Canadian-American team that toured Britain in 1891 and early 1892. Bowman remained in England after the rest of the team returned to North America and signed with Accrington one of the original members of the Football League. He played five games and scored three goals for the club late in the 1892 season. On August 25, 1892 he was signed by the Manchester club, Ardwick, recently admitted to the new Division Two of the Football League. When Ardwick went bankrupt in 1894 and Manchester City were formed and took their place in Division Two, Bowman remained with the club making a total of 47 appearances and scoring three goals for the two clubs between 1892 and 1900. While with Accrington (the name Stanley was added later) Bowman became the first Canadian born player to play in the Football League. Last heard of living in Butte, Montana in 1929. Solomon Brubacher - Born: Berlin, Ontario, c. 1864. Died: Berlin, Ontario, August 29, 1915. Club: Berlin Rangers. Full Back. Graduated from Berlin Collegiate and Vocational School in 1880. A partner and secretary of the Dominion Button Manufacturers in Berlin for 34 years, he died tragically of a mishap in his home. A member of the Canadian team that played in the United States in 1885. Dr. William Burnet - Born: Branchton, Ontario, 1868. Died: Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, November 15, 1942. Club: Galt F.C. Half Back. A dentist by profession he had participated in some sort of sport ever since he was a boy. During his life he was a good curler, bowler, golfer, baseball pitcher, hunter and fisherman in addition to his abilities as a soccer player. At the time of his death he was away from his home in Ingersoll on a hunting trip in the Sturgeon Falls area and when taken ill had to be moved three and half miles through the bush and then taken 25 miles by boat from the camp. He lived much of his life in Galt, where he attended high school, and served four years on city council from 1923 on. He was an elder of First United Church for many years, a member of Waterloo Lodge I.O.O.F. and a past master of Galt Lodge A.F. and A.M. David Forsyth - Born: Perthshire, Scotland, Dec 15, 1852. Died: Beamsville, Ontario, Sept 13/14, 1936. A founding member of the Dominion Football Association in 1878, the Western Football Association in 1880 and the Ontario Football Association League in 1901. Secretary and President of the Western Football Association and Secretary of the Ontario Football Association League and a life member of the Dominion Football Association. David Forsyth played for the Canadian team that defeated the United States in Newark, New Jersey in 1885 and was on the losing team in the same fixture played one year later. He was originally involved in the organization of the 1891 tour to Britain but resigned in the weeks leading up to the teams departure. Regarded as the "Father of Canadian Soccer", Forsyth came to Canada with his parents when he was only a year old and received his primary education in Lynden, Ontario. In 1865 he entered Dundas High School and after his parents moved to Galt in 1867 the famous "Tassies School", the Galt Collegiate Institute. There he matriculated in 1869 with scholarship standing in mathematics. In 1875 he graduated from the University of Toronto, taking a silver medal in mathematics. In 1876 he became master of mathematics and science at the old Berlin High School and it was here that his involvement in soccer really began. During the following years Berlin High School became a power in Canadian soccer producing many fine players who formed the nucleus of the Canadian teams of 1885, 1886 and 1888. Later this team became known as the Berlin Rangers. In addition to his involvement in soccer his work away from the playing field brought him many honours in the fields of mathematics and science. Many years later he retired to live in Beamsville. A member of the Grand River Lodge , No 151, A.F.&.A.M. of the Masons. Inducted into The Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum in Vaughan, Ontario in 2000. Alexander Noble Garrett - Born: Biddulph Township, 1865. Died: Toronto, Ontario, January 17, 1941. Goalkeeper. Attended the University of Toronto in 1884 and 1885 taking an Arts course but did not graduate. Also toured Britain with the Canadian-American team in 1891. Sports editor of the Toronto Daily World for 25 years. In his day he was considered one of this country's best-known sports writers. In addition to being an outstanding soccer player he also excelled at baseball and played cricket and football as well as being a curler and a lawn bowler. A member of the Toronto Granite Club. Alex Gibson - Born: Berlin, Ontario, 1865. Club: Berlin Rangers. Forward. Clerk in a hardware store in 1885. Left Berlin in 1893 for Birmingham, Alabama where he practiced as a veterinary surgeon. Still living in Birmingham in 1929. Tom Gibson - Born: Canada, 1862. Club: Berlin Rangers. Forward. A member of the publishing firm of Eaton, Gibson and Co. of Toronto and Buffalo, New York in 1885. Living and playing in Chicago in 1893 and played for the Chicago team that played Galt, Berlin Rangers and Toronto Varsity in that year. Living in Rumsey, Alberta in 1929. Older brother of Alex. Dr. Edward Payson Gordon - b. St. Helen's, Ontario in 1866. d. San Francisco, California in 1902. Club: Toronto Varsity. Half Back. Received his education at Jarvis Street Collegiate Institute and at Toronto Medical School. Graduated Medical Doctor: Master of Surgery, University Victoria College, Cobourg, Ontario, 1890. Soon after his graduation he became connected with the Canadian Pacific Steamships Company as a surgeon, travelling between Vancouver and Hong Kong and served, for example, on the Empress of Japan in 1892. After filling this position for about two years, he settled in the practice of his profession in Toronto where he remained until 1899 when he moved to British Columbia as a practising physician and surgeon to the mining districts. Also an outstanding lacrosse player who toured Britain in 1888 with the Toronto Lacrosse team as well as the soccer team. In 1894 he married Margaret Donald, who after his death in 1902, graduated at the Royal College of Dental Surgery of Ontario, in 1906. An outstanding lacrosse and soccer player, he toured Britain in 1888 with both the Toronto lacrosse team as well as the Canadian soccer team. Frederick Killer - Born: Berlin, Ontario, 1863. Died: Toronto, Ontario, January 3, 1941. Club: Berlin Rangers. Full back, A book-keeper by profession. Secretary-Treasurer of the Gerhard Heintzmann Company in 1926. Gerhard Heintzmann made pianos and in 1927 were bought out by the better known Heintzmann and Sons. Charles (Carl) Kranz - Born: Canada. Died: Kitchener, Ontario, May 3, 1938. Club: Berlin Rangers. Full Back. Mayor of Berlin (Kitchener) in 1904 and 1905. Early in life he worked in his father's store where he became interested in the fire insurance business, the office of the Economical Mutual Fire Insurance Company being located in the establishment. Eventually established his own insurance business under the name of Carl Kranz Limited. He started his municipal career in 1902, and in addition to being mayor was elected to the Public Utilities Commission in 1913 serving on that body until 1932. He was a member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Rotary Club, St. Mary's Hospital Board, Grand Union Lodge of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, the Canadian Order of Foresters, the Knights of Pythias and the Grand River Lodge, A.F. & A.M. In addition to soccer his other sports activities included curling, golf and lawn bowling. Married to Annie Bingham the sister of team mate H.P. Bingham. T.W. Murray - Born: Canada. Club: Galt F.C. Dr. Wilfred Pirt Mustard - Born: Uxbridge, Ontario. Died: Toronto, Ontario, July 30, 1932. Club: Toronto Varsity. He had graduated from the University of Toronto in 1886 with a gold medal in classics. He was a fellow of the university from 1886 to 1889, an examiner from 1889-91 and gained the degree of Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1893. He was appointed collegiate professor of Latin at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland in 1907. At the time of his death he had completed his 20th year as professor of Latin at Johns Hopkins. He was given the honourary degree of doctor of letters by the University of Toronto in 1921. From 1894 he was professor of Latin at Haverford College in Pennsylvania where he coached and played for the soccer team. At the time it was noted that "Mustard drew most of the attention. He brought what was described as an air of dignity to the team." Dr. Henry Hempton "Harry" Pirie - Born: Dundas, Ontario, 1864. Died: Dundas, Ontario, December 13, 1943. Clubs: Queens University, Dundas F.C. Half Back. Graduate of Arts and Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario and during his college days he played for Canada against the United States in 1886 and against Scotland in 1888 at half-back. After graduating from Queen's, he served as a medical practitioner in Costa Rica for many years before returning to Dundas where he engaged in such sports as lawn bowling, golf and curling. During the period of the depression in the 1930s Dr. Pirie served his community well in connection with the administration of relief. Dr. Walter Proudfoot Thomson - Born: Toronto, Ontario, 1868. Died: Toronto, January 8, 1932. An outstanding player during the years before the turn of the century. Thomson played for Canada against the United States in 1885 and Scotland in 1888. He was captain of the Canadian teams that toured Britain in 1888 and 1891 and attracted a great deal of attention from a number of English teams who were interested in signing him. However, he turned his back on professional soccer in order to pursue his ambition of becoming a doctor, and was a general practitioner in Toronto for 35 years. On retiring from the playing side of the game he turned to administration and attended the forming meeting of the Ontario Football Association in 1901, being named to the Match Committee. He was elected president of the Ontario Football Association in 1902, 1903 and 1904. He attended Upper Canada College, Galt Collegiate Institute and the University of Toronto, where he graduated with a B.A. in 1890. In his book "The Blue and White" a history of 50 years of sport at the University of Toronto, T.A. Reed wrote. "Among all there is none so worthy of mention as Watty Thomson. For several years the genial 'Watty' was the life and soul of Varsity Football. As a player, he was nothing less than a miracle of speed, accuracy and artfulness; as a centre forward he was a model of unselfishness and a phenomenal shot on goal; as a captain he was an inspiration and an ideal to his men. We never shall look upon his like again!" He lived at 84 Dinnick Crescent in Toronto with his wife and son Bruce. He was a Presbyterian and a member of the Masons and Oddfellows. E.W. Webster - Born: Canada. Club: Galt F.C., University of Toronto. Forward. Living in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan in 1929 |