John Bassett (USFL)
| John F. Bassett | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 5, 1939 Ontario, Canada |
| Died | May 15, 1986 (aged 47) Toronto, Canada |
| Occupation | Tennis player, businessman, film producer, squash player |
John F. Bassett (February 5, 1939 – May 15, 1986) was a Canadian tennis player, businessman, and film producer.
Bassett won the Canadian Open Junior Doubles Championship in 1955 when he was 15 years old. He reached the second round of the 1959 U.S. National Championships in singles, appearing only in the main draw of the tournament. Bassett never played a Davis Cup match for Canada, though he was on the team in 1959. He was also a member of Canada's 1959 Pan American Games tennis team. He played tennis, squash, football and hockey at the University of Western Ontario.
Bassett was also a successful squash player; he reached the semifinals of the 1969 Canadian Open and was champion of Ontario from 1965 to 1967.
In 1960, Bassett initially worked as a reporter for The Victoria Times. He later worked for the family-owned Toronto Telegram until it folded in 1971. Bassett also worked as a motion film producer, serving as a president of Amulet Pictures, Ltd. He produced the films Paperback Hero, Spring Fever, and Face Off. His other business interests included ownership of a computer software company and a real estate firm based in Sarasota, Florida.
In 1973, Bassett and twenty-six others purchased the Ottawa Nationals of the World Hockey Association for $1.8 million. The team was moved to Toronto, where it was renamed the Toronto Toros. After three seasons in Toronto, Bassett moved the Toros to Birmingham, Alabama in 1976, renaming them the Birmingham Bulls. The Bulls operated in Birmingham until 1979, when four of the six surviving WHA clubs (Edmonton Oilers, New England Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and Winnipeg Jets) were absorbed into the National Hockey League. The Bulls and the Cincinnati Stingers were not included in the merger/expansion agreement.
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