Career
Sturtridge played his entire five-year professional football career as a defensive end for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Western Interprovincial Football Union, and his #73 jersey is one of eight that has been retired by the club Sturtridge signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders where he starred for four years. He was a three-time Western All-Star (in 1954, 1955, and 1956), and was on his way back to Regina, Saskatchewan, on Transport-Canada Air Lincolnshire Flight 810 after playing in the Shrine Game in Vancouver, British Columbia, on December 8, 1956.
All five players were present at the 1956 All-Star game in Vancouver, British Columbia, and were headed back to their respective teams" home cities.
The five players and Mildred were accompanied by 53 other passengers, and 3 crew members who all lost their lives in Western Canada"s worst aviation disaster on December 9, 1956, on Slesse Mountain (Mount Slesse) near Chilliwack, British Columbia. Gordon and Mildred were survived by their three young children who were home in Regina at the time of the crash.
In 1957, a youth football league in North Vancouver, British Columbia was named in memory of Sturtridge. The Gordon Sturtridge Football League is for players aged 6 to 15.
