Eddie Bak

Edward Joseph Bak... he was married to wife Marlene (they had children Susan Michele and Stacey Ann)... he was 33 years old when he passed away in Vancouver on 2 November 1968 after suffering injuries in an automobile accident (he was buried at Mount View Cemetery, Firemen’s Plot)... as noted in the Vancouver Province, “he was alone in his car when he apparently tried to pass another vehicle at the Earles diversion on Nootka. His car went out of control on a road surface made slippery by a light rain that had just begun. He died in hospital of brain damage”... at the Pacific Coast League match shortly after his passing, a moment of silence was observed in his honour... he was a member of the Vancouver Fire Department (Local No. 18)... after his passing, his wife Marlene remarried to firefighter Art Hughes...

posthumously honoured by the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame as a player... posthumously honoured by the Soccer Hall of Fame of British Columbia... after his passing in 1968, Vancouver Firefighters FC retired jersey number 3 in Bak’s honour...

a five-time Canada Soccer Football Championship winner (Carling’s Red Cap Trophy and Challenge Trophy in 1956, 1958 and 1960, then Challenge Trophy again in 1964 and 1965)... he was just the second five-time national winner after Roy Cairns (he was also the fifth four-time winner)... a five-time Pacific Coast League winner (1959, 1961-62, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66), two-time Mainland League winner (1958-59, 1960-61), and two-time Pacific Coast International Championship winner for the J.F. Kennedy Cup (1962, 1966)... a nine-time all-star selection in a 12-year span from 1956 to 1967...

as noted in a 1964 all-star program after switching positions, “he has taken a new position like a duck to water”... as noted in a 1965 all-star program, “one of most versatile players in Pacific Coast League”... as noted in the Vancouver Province in 1968, he was “one of the longest serving players in the league”... wrote Jeff Cross in November 1968, Bak “was one of the most stylish defenders in the league (and) had been a stalwart of the Firefighters since the mid-fifties and one of the most likable personalities in the game”...

said Gary Stevens in 2018, “Eddie Bak had good vision, good speed, and was very fast. He wasn’t overly physical, but could be if he wanted to be. He was a good all-around athlete”... also Gary Stevens in 2018, “with both Eddie Bak and myself being really fast, I went down the wing lots of times and so did Eddie. We would join the attack. If you made a pass and there was an opening, it was by all means go”... said Gary Stevens in 2018, “there was a really good thought process between the Firefighters’ defenders Bob Mills, Eddie Bak and myself. Everyone talked to each other and, with Ken Pears in goal, we talked a lot before every game and practice. We had a really good understanding between the three of us and goalkeeper Kenny”...

said Robert Allen in 2018, “Eddie Bak was a tough player (and) a leader. I remember when (fullback) Terry McKibbin got hurt and he couldn’t play for awhile, so Eddie Bak went to his position and Terry never got his position back”... said Jim Blundell in 2019, “Eddie Bak had a lot heart... he was a good fullback, a good stopper, and he was fast”...

said Gene Vazzoler in 2018, “Eddie Bak had speed and he was a tough defender. He was a very good player”... said Metro Gerela in 2018, “Eddie Bak was very well built and he was difficult to get around. He was quick and he played the game simple. He demonstrated a strong team effort and was totally involved with being the best player that he could be”... said Giorgio Zambrano in 2018, “Eddie Bak was very strong and very reliable. He was a very solid defender”... said Neil Ellett in 2018, “Eddie Bak was just a solid defender. Eddie Bak and Gary Stevens would be my fullbacks from the 1960s, one on one side and one on the other side”... said Dan Comuzzi in 2018, “Eddie Bak was a very good player, a good fullback and we had a hard time. He was fast and tough on the ball. He would tackle and he would not give you much room to play. He had an eye for the ball”... said Sam Lenarduzzi in 2018, “Eddie Bak had a chunk of skill to him. He was a good player and when he played with us, I liked playing with him, but when we played against him he was a tough opponent”... said Jim Goodheart in 2019, “Eddie Bak was a real shut down defender and he didn’t get beat too often. He was a really good fullback”...