 Dave McKenna played high school football at Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute and went on with the family business, McKenna’s Fine Furniture on Front St. He then moved on to Edmonton where he became equipment manager/bench boss for the Edmonton Huskies of the CJFL and as an assistant manager with the Edmonton Eskimos. He was part of the Eskimo’s dynasty of the late 70’s and early 80’s and also during the 1986 and 1993 Grey Cup years.
Returning to Toronto he came back to his high school roots and assisted Lawrence Park in 1988 and again in 2000 when labour disputes cancelled football programs. During that time he embraced the concept of developing high school aged football players through minor football and was an integral part of the introduction of the Metro Toronto Wildcats into the OVFL. In a few short years Lawrence Park became one of the cornerstone franchises of the league for stability and participation levels. While many of the volunteers concentrated on the business end of the Lawrence Park franchise, Dave focused on the players’ wants and experiences.
Dave continued when possible to work the bench for the Argos, T-Cats, Ottawa and even visiting teams when they came to the Rogers Centre (Skydome). Before 2004 he never missed an Eskimo training camp. Dave McKenna passed away in 2004 and will sadly be missed by his family and football peers.
|
