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Sun Jul 6, 10:59 PM

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By Jim Morris, The Canadian Press

SURREY, B.C. - Bob Ackles, the one-time water boy who started his football career in the B.C. Lions' locker-room and went on to be respected in the front office of both CFL and NFL teams, died suddenly of a heart attack Sunday.

Ackles, who was the Lions' first water boy in 1953 and rose to the position of the team's president and chief executive officer, was 69.

Friends, colleagues and players remembered Ackles as a man who had a passion for football but treated everyone with respect.

"It was our league that virtually adopted him when he was just a boy, and it's our league that has looked to him as a man for counsel, inspiration and leadership by example," CFL commissioner Mark Cohon said in a statement.

"As much as the CFL has meant to Bob, he has meant so much more to us."

Besides his years with the Lions, Ackles worked in the NFL with Dallas, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Miami. He also was the vice-president and general manager of the Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL.

A small man with a large personality, Ackles loved telling stories about his early days in the CFL with legends like Jackie Parker and Annis Stukus, plus his time in the NFL where he rubbed shoulders with people like Jimmy Johnson, Jon Gruden and Tex Schramm.

A tireless worker, Ackles also enjoyed spending time on his boat and relaxed by painting and reading. He was a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

Lions players and coaches were holding a team picnic when they learned the news of Ackles' death.

Wally Buono, the club's coach and general manager, battled tears when speaking of the man who brought him to Vancouver from Calgary in 2003.

" Knowing Bob, he would want things to move forward," Buono said in a voice breaking with emotion. "Football was a big part of Bob's life.

"Like Bob used to tell me, 'Wally, sleep on the losses. When you wake up tomorrow, start working on the next victory."'

George Chayka, the Lions' vice-president of business, credited Ackles with restoring pride and financial stability to a franchise that had been battered by bad management and neglect.

"The one thing that Bob brought every day was a tremendous amount of passion," said Chayka. "He cared about this franchise. It was a part of him. It was a big part of his life.

"He asked a lot from his staff, he got a lot from his staff, but he gave a lot."

Receiver Bret Anderson, the longest active Lions player, said Ackles' story was like a movie script.

"He was someone you could look up to, not only as a football person, but as a real winner in life," said Anderson, a native of Coquitlam, B.C.

Lions safety Barron Miles said Ackles was everyone's friend.

"He treated everyone the same," said Miles. "It didn't matter your position in the organization. Everyone was dealt with the same way and treated with the same respect."

Ackles' impact went beyond football. B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell called him "a true champion" who "built a team and as he did, he strengthened our province and our country.

"Our province has lost a great British Columbian today," Campbell said in a statement. "Bob's determination, dedication and commitment to the B.C. Lions, the fans and his community serve as an example of exemplary citizenship that all British Columbians can be proud of."

As proud as he was of his roots, both Ackles and his wife Kay sometimes bristled at the water boy nickname.

"Some people couldn't accept that I'd risen through the ranks to become a successful sports franchise executive," Ackles wrote in his book The Water Boy. "Call it envy, call it what ever, but the name sounded disparaging and it ticked Kay off to hear it."

Ackles was born in Sarnia, Ont., on Sept. 16, 1938. His family moved to Vancouver in 1952 and spent part of that summer camping in Stanley Park.

As a kid Ackles played hockey, football and rugby. He joined the Lions after seeing newspaper story saying a professional football team was forming in Vancouver.

"I thought it would be great to be the water boy if Vancouver got a team," Ackles wrote in his book. "The next morning I skipped school and headed down to the office."

He was named the Lions director of football development in 1966 and the assistant general manger in 1971. Four years later he was promoted to general manager, a title he held until 1986 when he left for the NFL.

Owner David Braley persuaded Ackles to return to Vancouver in 2002. Ackles found a team wallowing in debt and ignored by the fans. He used his contacts in the business community to bring corporate dollars back to the team and proved to the fans he was serious about building a winner by hiring Buono.

Cohon said Ackles' work in football across North American won't be forgotten.

"We've lost one of the true greats," Cohon said. "His contribution was so tremendous, and our gratitude is so profound, they exceed even the deep sense of loss we feel today."

Ackles is survived by his wife Kay and his sons Steve and Scott, who is the president of the Calgary Stampeders.