Mike Rodden

Background

Rodden's primary occupation was sports journalist. He started at the Toronto Globe as a reporter in 1918, became sports editor ten years later, and worked there for 18 years before moving to the Kingston Whig-Standard in 1936 when the Globe merged with The Mail and Empire. He remained sports editor there until 1958 and contributed a weekly column until a few weeks before his death. He officiated in 1,187 National Hockey League games.

As a football coach, he led the Hamilton Tigers to Grey Cup championships in 1928 and 1929. He also coached the Toronto St. Pats in the NHL until his contract was terminated in January 1927, just before the club was sold and became the Maple Leafs; he is credited with coaching two games by the NHL. Rodden left his hometown at age 15 to attend the University of Ottawa, and was a student at Queen's University from 1910 to 1913, earning 15 letters in rugby football and ice hockey.

He played football for Toronto Parkdale (1915) and the Toronto Argonauts (1919–1920), and coached both teams. He was head coach of the Tigers from 1927–1930 and in 1937. In hockey, he coached De La Salle College (1920–21), St. Andrew's College juniors (1921–22), St. Mary's (1923–24), and the University of Toronto Schools Rugby team to an undefeated season in 1925, winning the Canadian Interscholastic Championship. He was an older brother of ice hockey player Eddie Rodden.