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George Army
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A “Class of 1964” inductee into the RI Reds Hall of Fame, George Army, the Reds' iconic and revered trainer from 1934 to 1969, had the longest tenure of any individual associated with the team.
Self-taught during a time when there were no schools or programs teaching his craft, Army became so proficient that his counterparts around the league sought his advice on tending to injuries, even during games for the opposition's players. He famously taught himself to stitch by slicing oranges and then deftly sewing them back together again. He became such a master at the art that players preferred him over doctors.
In his youth, George was a talented baseball player, a catcher and then a manager at the Triple A level. He barnstormed with some of the game's greatest, including Babe Ruth. When Jean Dubuc, a fellow baseball star, took over as GM of the Reds, he convinced his friend, George, to help with the team's training during his off-season. The rest is history.
Among his most notable proteges were two local young men who would go on to their own Hall of Fame careers as trainers, Tommy Woodcock with the St. Louis Blues and Pete Demers with the Los Angeles Kings.
George is also the patriarch of one of RI?s most famous hockey families. His son, Tom, was the first of three generations of Armys to star with the Providence College Friars, when he captained the team during their 1952-53 season. Grandson, Tim, became an All-American at PC. He later coached the team before moving on to a career coaching in the NHL. Older brother Billy was a star at Boston College and later in the AHL with Rochester. Great-grandson Derek would later become part of one of the Friar?s most famous scoring lines centering future NHLers, Noel Acciari and Brandon Tanev.
George served in two AHL all-star games in 1941 and 1956. He was with the Reds during all four of their Calder Cup championship seasons. He sadly passed away on the job on January 11, 1969. |
