The Matchcover Storyteller

As it turns out, this will be less about construction, a bit about the “Beavers” and more about a businessman.

 First, the matchbook itself  —  it’s a beautiful Lion Feature posted online in the RMS Facebook page by member Jason Mues.  I think it was the Montreal location that made me look into it.   But there’s not a lot about Beaver Construction itself easily found online.  

So let’s do this:

 John S. Newman was born in England in 1924 but was in Montreal by the time he was 6 months old.  He grew up there and served with the Grenadier Guards in WW II.  After the war, he went to McGill University where he played football (and graduated with an Engineering degree).  His university career is most famous for his 1949 interception of an opponents’ pass and then running the wrong way.  Amid frantic hollering, he finally realized his error and got turned around on his own 8-yard line.  Newman then played two seasons for the Montreal Alouettes in 1950-51.  And football remained his primary interest, his real passion thereafter.

 After university, Johnny Newman founded Beaver Construction Group Limited (this matchbook).  He remained a football fanatic and had scores of Alouette and McGill seasons tickets.    At one point tried to buy the Alouettes.  When that failed, he purchased a different  football team of his own.

 In 1964, The Quebec Rifles were the first professional American football team in Canada, playing in the United Football League.  But then the Continental Football League was created and in 1965, after one year of play, they moved to become the Toronto Rifles.  Under Newman’s ownership he team lasted until 1967, the league till 1969.

(Side note:  the Rifles were named for gunslinging quarterback Sam “The Rifle” Etcheverry of the Als.)

 

But Johnny Newman was a Montreal boy. So meanwhile, south of the border, the Indianapolis Warriors became the Fort Wayne Warriors and then construction magnate Johnny Newman stepped in and moved them to Montreal.   Voila  —  The Montreal Beavers of the CFL (NOT the CFL you’re used to!)   The Beavers played only two seasons, 1966 and 1967 in the Continental league before folding.

 There were at one time 10 companies within the Beaver Construction Group.  Johnny Newman died aged 61 in September of 1985.  At the time, the company was thriving.   Now, the only Beaver Construction Group I can find today is Ottawa-based.  If it’s the same, I can’t discover.

 As for Johnny Newman, one of his sons remarked that if he had any regret in his highly-energized life, it’s that he never got to buy the Alouettes.