Revisiting history with a patriotic football clash

Devised as a morale-booster, the first match was dubbed the Tea Bowl and held on Feb. 13, 1944. It featured the Canadian Army Mustangs vs. the U.S. Army Central Base Section Pirates, playing before a crowd of 30,000 at London, England’s White City Stadium. 

“There was a Canada–U.S. rivalry, but also a camaraderie,” says Mike Drinkwater ’97, whose grandfather, William “Bill” Drinkwater ’40, played in the game. “Some of those players ended up fighting alongside each other in the D-Day invasion and defeating the Nazis.”  

The game’s first half was played under American rules — allowing four downs to gain 10 yards — and the second half under Canadian rules, allowing three. In the end, the Mustangs pulled off a stunning upset, vanquishing their opponents 16–6.

“Dad told me the Canadians were excited to show the Americans they could play this game,” says Bill’s son David Drinkwater ’66, who is retired after a career in business and law. “Maybe the Americans underestimated the Canadian team and took it easy.” (David’s youngest brother, Eric, is from the Class of 1975.)

The Canadian team was assembled by Major Denis Whitaker, whose career as a quarterback with the Hamilton Tigers of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU) was interrupted by the war. 

Whitaker recruited talented and experienced athletes including Drinkwater, a former UCC team captain who had played for the Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers with the Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU), and who faced the Ottawa Rough Riders in the 1940 Grey Cup. He was listed as a halfback, playing both offense and defense. 

“Articles from 1940 refer to his speed and to him as one of [ORFU’s] most improved rookies,” Mike says. “He played both sides of the ball, so there are references to his breakout runs as well as his tackling ability.”

At a Canadian Olympic Association (COA) event in the mid-1990s, David heard even more amazing things about his father, who passed away in 1970. They came from James Worrall, a former UCC physics teacher and track star who carried the flag for Canada at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.  

Worrall was Bill’s track coach, and he told David that Bill was the fastest 200-yard runner in the country in his graduating year at the College. David recalls, “He told me if there had been an Olympics in 1940 or 1944, my father would have been on those Olympic teams.” 

Bill Drinkwater was a captain in the Toronto Scottish Regiment. He survived the war and was promoted to lieutenant colonel and commanding officer in 1951–52. 

Another UCC grad and Beachers player suiting up for the Mustangs was Ken Turnbull ’38, who would win the 1947 Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts. Turnbull, also a captain in the Toronto Scottish Regiment, later ran his own packaging company and passed away in 2008. He and Drinkwater, a GM car dealer, remained longtime friends. 

The Canadian squad also included D.W. (Donald) Grant ’39.  

The Americans demanded a rematch, titled the Coffee Bowl, which was played on March 19. The U.S. team, this time nicknamed, interestingly, the Blues, stacked its roster with high-level players including quarterback Tommy Thompson, a future two-time champion with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. This time they prevailed 18–0, ending the series in a draw. 

British Spitfires patrolled overhead, protecting the soldiers and the crowd — the second game drawing 50,000 spectators — from the threat of German aerial attack. Less than three months later, soldiers from both teams would participate in the Normandy invasion, some of whom never made it home. 

The games recall the historical goodwill between the nations. Mike, a managing partner at a private equity advisory firm, based in Connecticut, is uniquely positioned to observe the current state of relations. 

“My wife is American, and our kids are dual-national,” he notes. “It’s important for us to broaden their perspectives. The Tea Bowl victory serves as a great reminder that we Canadians can confidently compete against the best and win in any arena.”