According to the Edmonton Elks, former Edmonton Eskimos general manager Norm Kimball of Edmonton, Alberta passed away on Friday at the age of 96. Kimball was the Eskimos general manager from 1964 to 1985.
In that time, Kimball was one of the most successful general managers in Canadian Football League history. The Eskimos had a record of 189 wins and 141 losses and 12 ties for a winning percentage of .573. In that time, the Eskimos won six Grey Cups. They won the 1975 Grey Cup in a 9-8 win over the Montreal Alouettes before winning a record five consecutive Grey Cups from 1978 to 1982. In 1978, the Eskimos beat the Alouettes 20-13. The Eskimos then beat the Alouettes again 17-9 in 1979, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 48-10 in 1980, the Ottawa Rough Riders 26-23 in 1981, and the Toronto Argonauts 32-16 in 1982. Among the Eskimos legends in this time were quarterback Warren Moon, head coach Hugh Campbell, defensive back Larry Highbaugh, kicker Dave Cutler of Biggar, Saskatchewan, linebacker Danny Kepley, safety Ed Jones, running back Jim Germany, slotback Tom Scott, defensive back Joe Hollimon, defensive lineman Ron Estay, quarterback Tom Wilkinson, offensive lineman Bill Stevenson of High Prairie, Alberta, offensive tackle Hector Pothier of St. Catharines, Ontario, defensive tackle Dave Fennell of Edmonton, and wide receiver Brian Kelly.
After his time with the Eskimos, Kimball was the president of the Montreal Alouettes from 1986 to 1987. In 1991, he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in Hamilton, and in 2011, he was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in Red Deer.
