George Spicer Atkins
Atkins Rugby’s Best Front-line Man
Born in Spencer’s Island, Nova Scotia, George “Gammie” Atkins was a rugby star at Horton Collegiate Academy during 1909 and 1910. Entering Acadia University in the fall of 1911, he took up where he left off, and was soon “rated in provincial papers as the best front lineman in intercollegiate ball.” Unusually, Atkins earned his athletic “A” as a freshman and later was awarded his distinction cap. His trademark hard tackling and fast footwork served the Acadia football team well. During his time on the team, they won both the Maritime Intercollegiate title and the Eastern Canada title.
Atkins was on the 1913 football team that won the league title and gave Acadia permanent possession of the King-Richardson trophy; they were the first league team to win the title five times. In the fall of 1914, Atkins was the football team captain. Although Acadia beat Mt Allison University (NB), it lost to the University of New Brunswick. Atkins left Acadia before graduating and joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Europe. Wounded in action, he spent several years recovering. Later he became an insurance agent in New York.
