It is with great sadness that the Stampeders learn of the death of alumnus Norman (Normie) Kwong. He was 86.

“Normie was a great man who contributed so much to the Stampeders, the CFL, the city of Calgary and the province of Alberta,” said Stampeders president and general manager John Hufnagel. “He will be sadly missed but his legacy will endure.”

“I am saddened today to hear of the death of a great Calgarian and great Canadian – Normie Kwong,” said Ken King, President & CEO of the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation. “Normie was a special gift to Calgary’s sporting world as a Hall of Fame player with the Stampeders, an executive and an original co-owner of the Calgary Flames. His contributions to Alberta reached well beyond sports through his commitment to public service as the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. He will be sorely missed by our community and country. Remember him and cherish the privilege we all have in knowing him.”

Kwong was born in Calgary in 1929, one of six children of Chinese immigrants Charles and Lily Kwong. He attended Calgary’s Western Canada High School and joined the Stamps in 1948 at the tender age of 18. At age 19, he was the Stamps’ leading rusher and helped Calgary reach the Grey Cup title game. He was traded to Edmonton in 1951 and would spend a decade with the Eskimos. By the time his career ended in 1960, he held more than 30 league records.

He returned to the Stampeders in 1988 to serve as president and general manager. It was during Kwong’s tenure that the Stamps hired Wally Buono, a move which ushered in a tremendously successful period in franchise history that included 11 consecutive winning seasons and three Grey Cup championships. Kwong was added to the Stampeders’ Wall of Fame in the builders’ category in 2012.

In 1956, Kwong set the CFL record for the most rushing yards by Canadian in a season with 1,437. The record stood for an astounding 56 years before it was broken by the Stamps’ Jon Cornish in 2012.

In addition to his exploits on the field, Kwong served as lieutenant governor of Alberta from 2005-10. He is a member of the Order of Canada, a Chancellor of the Alberta Order of Excellence, a former National Chairman of the Canadian Consultative Council on Multiculturalism, a four-time Grey Cup winner and an honoured inductee in numerous halls of fame including the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and the Alberta Sports Hall Fame.

In 1980, he was part of the ownership group that purchased the Atlanta Flames and moved the hockey club to Calgary. Kwong remained a co-owner until 1994 and thanks to the Flames’ championship in 1989, he became one of the few individuals to win both a Grey Cup and a Stanley Cup.