In the long history of sports in our community few people were as memorable or as beloved as Bill Elliott. He was known by everyone who crossed his path as “Cowboy”. Moving to the area in 1964 to take on a new job, “Cowboy”, who spent his youth near Ivey, Ontario playing Baseball in the summer and Hockey in the winter, went looking around for a team to play on. Soon he gravitated towards a fastball team in the Cobourg Town League in need of a catcher, which in turn led him to the Cobourg Mercantile Hockey League where he tended goal. “Cowboy” would become a fixture of both leagues for the next three decades as well as in too numerous to count dart leagues, bowling teams, horseshoe and golf tournaments. In demand as a Fastball Catcher, he played for the Oshawa Tony’s team that won a Senior A Men’s Fastball title in 1978. Two years later he was a part of the Cold Springs Cats team that won a Senior A Provincial Championship and then finished in fourth place at the Nationals in Saskatchewan, where “Cowboy” set a record for most put outs in one day. He also played with the Masters Version of the Cold Springs Cats that won three consecutive Canadian Men’s Fastball titles in 1995, 1996, and 1997. For many however, Bill will always be remembered as a tireless advocate for sports in our community and his fundraising skills were legendary. Wherever “Cowboy” was a 50/50 draw ticket or a charitable Euchre tournament were never far behind. Over the years, he raised thousands of dollars for local hockey teams, baseball teams, various community causes, and for those individuals in need. The words “no” and “can’t” were not in his vocabulary and more often than not he wouldn’t wait for someone else to take the initiative on a pressing need, especially when he could fill that role. In 2021, Bill was recognized for all of his work through the years with Cobourg’s Citizen of the Year Award, a fitting tribute for a man who gave so much of himself – his talent, his energy, and above all, his time – to our community.
The Cobourg Galloping Ghosts are the most famous team in Cobourg sports history. Managed by Fred Dufton, the Ghosts won eight Ontario championships, five after World War II. They were Canadian Dominion champions in 1946, 1948 and 1950. They were the first team in Canada to wear aluminum cleats and the second to wear white uniforms.
