Charlie Baillie passed away in his home in Montreal on Monday at the age of 90.
The native of Montreal, Que. played for the Alouettes in 1954 and again from 1956 to 1965 at fullback and centre, helping the team make two Grey Cup appearances. In 1955, he played for the Calgary Stampeders.
In 1967, Baillie started a three-year run as an assistant coach at McGill University before moving to Sir George Williams University for two seasons. In 1972, he returned to McGill as head coach and remained there for 29 years until he retired after the 2000 season. He finished his tenure with a record of 119-111-2.
McGill reached three Vanier Cups under Baillie, winning one in 1987 over the UBC Thunderbirds by a score of 47-11 at Varsity Stadium in Toronto. It remains the only football championship in school history.
Baillie was inducted into the McGill University Sports Hall of Fame in 2008, received an award of excellence from the Quebec Amateur Football Federation in 1988, and was the Ontario-Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference Coach of the Year four times.
“This is a very sad day. We have lost a coach, mentor and friend,” said Friends of McGill Football president Vincent Gagné, who played under Baillie for five seasons. “Coach Baillie had such a positive influence on thousands of McGill graduates. It’s hard to say farewell.”
Baillie’s twin brother, Ray, also played in the CFL with the Stampeders, Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Edmonton Football Team. He later coached alongside his brother at McGill for seven seasons. Ray passed away in Montreal on May 10, 2015, at the age of 80.
Donald Baillie, the father of Charlie and Ray, played at McGill during the 1920s and is credited as the first Canadian university quarterback to attempt a forward pass in a game.
