George Puil was a highly-coveted recruit when he arrived on scene at UBC in 1949 as a football and rugby player. In his first season, he was responsible for half the football team’s touchdowns before moving over to the rugby team where he was part of their McKechnie Cup-winning team.
His prowess on the football and rugby field was so dominant that Ubyssey sports reporter Allan Fotheringham declared him to be “the most dangerous broken field runner ever to pull on a Thunderbird sweater” in 1951. On the rugby side, George was part of three McKechnie Cup championships overall. As a football star, he was named to the Evergreen Conference All-Star Football team in 1952.
George was inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, and received the UBC Alumni Achievement Award in 2000.
He is also a recipient of a BC Community Achievement Award for his work in public service including time spent as a parks board commissioner and elected Councillor.
George passed away on December 4, 2022.
