John Stroppa

John Stroppa

Date of birth	(1926-01-02)January 2, 1926
Place of birth	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Date of death	May 7, 2017(2017-05-07) (aged 91)
Place of death	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Career information
CFL status	National
Position(s)	DB
Career history
As player
1949–1951	Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Career highlights and awards
Awards	1949 - Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy

John Stroppa (January 2, 1926 – May 7, 2017) was a halfback who played in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1949 to 1951.

A native of Winnipeg, Stroppa took the league by storm in 1949, being the surprise winner of the Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy for Canadian rookie of the year in the west.[1] He also played in the famed Mud Bowl, the 1950 Grey Cup but retired after a serious mid-season kidney injury in 1951.[2]

After his playing days Stroppa moved to Edmonton because of his job, and took up amateur officiating. He then became one of the few professional players to become a CFL referee, working 250 games in 15 years, after which he became the CFL's supervisor of officials for another 11 years. He died in Edmonton on May 7, 2017.[3]

References

1. John Stroppa gets "Rookie of Year" in Western League Montreal Gazette, November 16, 1949.
2. Pay was bad, but he loved the game, Edmonton Journal, November 28, 2010
3. "John Romeo Stroppa's Obituary". Edmonton Journal. May 13, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2017.