George Capwell
Encyclopedia
George Lewis Capwell Cronin (July 1, 1902 – January 7, 1970), the American manager of the Empresa Eléctrica del Ecuador
("Electric Company of Ecuador") in Guayaquil
, Ecuador
, founded Club Sport Emelec
, an association football team, in 1929. Emelec, named for the first syllable of each word in the company's name, is one of Ecuador's leading football clubs.
. He was known for his love of athletics, particularly American football
, basketball
, swimming
, and baseball
. When he was young, he lived for a time in Panama
, where his father was an engineer involved in the construction of the Panama Canal
.
He studied electrical engineering
at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
. After graduating, he took a job as an assistant engineer at a power plant in Cienfuegos
, Cuba
. He later spent time in Panama.
Standing over 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) tall and weighing over 200 pounds (90.7 kg), Capwell was noted for his organizational and leadership skills.
He didn't care for association football, but a request from the employees lead him to found a team, particularly since the workers were not particularly enthusiastic about Emelec's other sports.
The football team, composed solely of Eléctrica workers, was founded on April 28, 1929. On September 17, 1929, the team—with Capwell on the field—defeated Vanguard 14-12 at a tournament in Guayaquil. It won its first title, a local league made up of business-backed teams in Guayaquil, in 1933.
Emelec became Ecuador's first national football champions in 1957, and they have 10 national titles.
Emelec currently plays in the George Capwell stadium, built in 1943 in Guayaquil. Capwell played in the first game staged in the stadium, a baseball match against Oriente.
Empresa Eléctrica del Ecuador
Empresa Eléctrica del Ecuador or Emelec was the name of an Ecuadorian electric company based in the city of Guayaquil....
("Electric Company of Ecuador") in Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, founded Club Sport Emelec
Club Sport Emelec
Club Sport Emelec is a Ecuadorian sports club based in Guayaquil that is best known for their professional football team. The football team plays in the Ecuadorian Serie A, the highest level of professional football in the country....
, an association football team, in 1929. Emelec, named for the first syllable of each word in the company's name, is one of Ecuador's leading football clubs.
Biography
Capwell was born on July 1, 1902 in Olean, New YorkOlean, New York
Olean is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. Olean is the largest city in Cattaraugus County, and serves as the financial, business, transportation and entertainment center of the county. It is one of the principal cities of the Southern Tier region of New York.The city is...
. He was known for his love of athletics, particularly American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. When he was young, he lived for a time in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, where his father was an engineer involved in the construction of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
.
He studied electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
. After graduating, he took a job as an assistant engineer at a power plant in Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos is a city on the southern coast of Cuba, capital of Cienfuegos Province. It is located about from Havana, and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. He later spent time in Panama.
Standing over 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) tall and weighing over 200 pounds (90.7 kg), Capwell was noted for his organizational and leadership skills.
Emelec
Capwell arrived in Guayaquil to work at Eléctrica on April 14, 1926. Soon after arriving, he founded a sports club, named for the first syllable of each word in the company's name: Emelec. He boxed and played basketball at the guard position; he organized basketball competitions at the company in 1927. He played the catcher's position in baseball games. Potential members of the boxing club had to perform well in a fight against one of the club's experienced boxers in order to gain membership.He didn't care for association football, but a request from the employees lead him to found a team, particularly since the workers were not particularly enthusiastic about Emelec's other sports.
The football team, composed solely of Eléctrica workers, was founded on April 28, 1929. On September 17, 1929, the team—with Capwell on the field—defeated Vanguard 14-12 at a tournament in Guayaquil. It won its first title, a local league made up of business-backed teams in Guayaquil, in 1933.
Emelec became Ecuador's first national football champions in 1957, and they have 10 national titles.
Emelec currently plays in the George Capwell stadium, built in 1943 in Guayaquil. Capwell played in the first game staged in the stadium, a baseball match against Oriente.