In the quiet hours of Wednesday morning, Canadian football lost one of its most passionate advocates and visionaries. Larry Thompson, the owner of the Edmonton Elks and a towering figure in the Canadian Football League, passed away at the age of 72 after a brief but intense battle with pancreatic cancer.
The news sent shockwaves through Edmonton and the broader CFL community, where Thompson had become known not merely as a team owner, but as the savior who rescued the storied franchise from the brink of financial collapse in 2018.
“Larry wasn’t just a businessman who owned a football team,” said Elks president Victor Cui in an emotional press conference. “He understood that in Canada, these teams are community trusts, pieces of our collective identity. He approached ownership with that sacred responsibility always in mind.”
Thompson’s journey with the Elks began at the team’s lowest point. The franchise, struggling with declining attendance and mounting debt, faced an existential crisis that threatened its 70-year history. When other potential buyers backed away, Thompson stepped forward, investing not just his considerable financial resources but his heart into revitalizing the organization.
“I remember him telling me, ‘I’m not buying this team to make money. I’m buying it because Edmonton deserves to keep its team,'” recalled former CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie. “That was Larry – he saw value where others saw liability, and he understood the cultural importance of the CFL in a way that transcended business metrics.”
Under Thompson’s ownership, the Elks underwent a comprehensive transformation. He modernized operations, renovated Commonwealth Stadium with fan-friendly amenities, and most controversially, led the team through its name change from the Edmonton Eskimos in 2020 – a decision that initially divided fans but ultimately positioned the team on the right side of history.
His approach to ownership was hands-on without being intrusive. He attended practices, knew players by name, and could often be spotted in the stands hours before kickoff, chatting with fans and stadium staff alike. This accessibility earned him rare respect in an era where sports owners often remain distant figures.
“He wasn’t interested in being the face of the franchise,” noted veteran Edmonton sports columnist Terry Jones. “He wanted the players, coaches, and fans to be the story. But his fingerprints were everywhere in the organization’s renaissance.”
Perhaps Thompson’s most significant legacy lies in his commitment to community ownership principles, even as a private owner. He established the Elks Community Trust, pledging that a percentage of any future sale would be directed back to Edmonton-based sports programs for underprivileged youth. This innovative structure ensured that the team would perpetually benefit the community, regardless of ownership changes.
Thompson’s death comes at a pivotal moment for both the Elks and the CFL. The league continues to navigate challenging waters of relevance and sustainability in the modern sports landscape, while the team sits in the middle of a competitive rebuild aimed at recapturing championship glory.
Questions now turn to succession plans and the future of the franchise. In characteristic Thompson fashion, he had reportedly established clear directives for the team’s continuation, with his daughter Claire Thompson-Williams expected to assume leadership of the ownership group.
“My father believed that sports teams don’t really belong to their owners – they belong to the fans and the community,” Thompson-Williams stated in a family release. “Our family remains committed to honoring his vision for what this team means to Edmonton.”
As tributes pour in from across CO24 Culture, politicians, business leaders, and sports figures, it becomes clear that Thompson’s influence extended well beyond the gridiron. His approach to community-minded ownership has become a model discussed in business schools and sports management programs alike, representing a middle path between corporate and community ownership structures.
In Edmonton, flags at Commonwealth Stadium and city buildings have been lowered to half-mast, while fans have created an impromptu memorial outside the stadium gates – leaving jerseys, flowers, and handwritten notes of gratitude for the man who ensured their team would remain part of the city’s identity.
As the CFL community reflects on Thompson’s legacy, perhaps the most fitting epitaph comes from a handwritten note left among the flowers at Commonwealth: “He saved more than a football team. He saved a piece of who we are.” In an era where sports increasingly risk becoming detached from their community roots, Larry Thompson’s legacy stands as a powerful reminder of what local ownership, community commitment, and authentic passion can mean to a city and its cherished institutions.
The truest measure of Thompson’s impact may be that fans across the CO24 Trends section in rival CFL cities join Edmonton in mourning – recognizing that his vision for community-centered ownership benefited not just one team, but the entire league he so deeply loved.
