Paul began his touch football career in Ontario before moving out west in 1977. In 1978, when he and others saw ads placed in the newspaper by Hans Finken {See separate entry} he started his own team with his playing days ending with an undefeated season for Pony Express.
He would later take a greater role in TFBC. Paul would become Commissioner of the fledgling league; a full-time job promoting and marketing the league - 12 months of the year. He would be re-elected to the position for 5 consecutive years. "I'm very proud of the fact the vote was unanimous all 5 years," says Paul. "I had a lot of enthusiasm for what I did."

He would ref from 1980 to 1994 full time with part time duty for 2 yrs prior and 2 yrs after and serve on the executive for 12 years, achieving the position of vice-president in 1986. Paul officiated in over 1,800 Touch Football games with over 100 at the National Championships and is a Level 5 Nationally Certified Referee.

It was Paul's idea to bring the Touch Football National Finals, Touch Bowl 86 to B.C in 1983. Before then the finals had always been held in Ontario or Quebec, and Paul recognized that it would bring attention to TFBC, promote the game out West and develop the sport.
It also had other benefits: "Before that the Dolphins [See Dolphins ] would get killed when they went back east... it was my idea to hold Nationals here as well as start player development clinics... not having to travel helped start the ball rolling." Hosting the massive 72 team, 144 game National Championships in our home province culminating with over three thousand five hundred fans in the stands at Swanguard Stadium was a signature event for Touch Football B.C.
And it turned out to be a coming out party for Vancouver Teams. Because we were hosting it -- Vancouver got to put a number of teams in, including: Burnaby Wolverines, Mission Redskins, Vancouver Schooners, Budmen, Kelowna Mad Dogs, Labatt's Blues and the Dolphins. On the women's side it was, of course, Kaban and Mardis Gras.

Home field advantage helped get 6 BC teams in all the finals including Consolation finals. And of course it began the dynasties of the Dolphins and Mardi gras. To compensate for the travel, "in 1983 we started going back a day early to avoid jet lag, which helped the elasticity in the legs."

Paul, who was also a travelling ref, would fly back east with Dale and the Dolphins "6 or 7 times" in the next decade. They spent a lot of time on those cross-country flights talking football and exchanging ideas. Dale "had a creative mind and a will to win... he doesn't know how to give up.... (After one of his nationals) he asked me what can he do better. I suggested he get 3 guys; Don Quart, Mark Galbraith and Eric Lehwald. Later when Harvey Alter was a free agent, I asked Dale if he would rather play with him or against him? Harvey went on to become the only player in Canada to ever win 10 National Championships."

Paul was also part of the planning committee for the first league wind up party in 1985. There was skeptism that anyone would show up, but they also recognized that if would help build the league. There were 3,000 players in the league and they figured that even with a 1/3 turnout that would be 1000 people. Nine hundred and ninety two people showed up for the wind-up. It was a huge success. The following year, 1,400 people attended, and it would be well-attended for years to come.... some very memorable times included: The Bucs players, dressed as Romans centurians, showing up in rickshaws used for Expo 86, being pulled by the girls from Mardi Gras.

In 95 and 96 Paul was involved (along with Sid Hutchinson, Sid's wife Jackee), and [ Ron Corrado ]with starting a Touch Football League for children under 14 years of age.

Paul was also a long time member of Football BC (BCAFA) and as well as serving on the Vancouver Field Sports Federation to ensure TFBC was well represented and was responsible for booking every field in the Lower Mainland which he personally inspected prior. For Touch Bowl 86 he took a week off to lime all the fields and he and others ensures Football Canada's 100 plus point checklist was completed. He was instrumental in introducing fund raising to our league so more teams could be sent to the Nationals and to defray costs.

In 18 years with the league Paul Benwick never stopped looking for a way to promote the sport of TFBC... and we are all indebted to him for shaping this league.

Vice President of TFBC

If it wasn't for Paul the league wouldn't have been nearly as well promoted or organized. He was a real "detail" guy and I was more of a " lets get it done and move on " kind of guy...so Paul was always ensuring that what I got started was finished off properly. Paul promoted the league to recruit new players/teams , he worked hard on getting the media involved. Statistics for the Sr. Men's League were listed in the Province weekly and TV crews were sent to the BC Provincial Finals to film clips of the Championship games and showed highlight footage on Sports Page . We even had Sports Page out to Dolphin practices a few times filming and interviewing us prior to heading to the Nationals. If it wasn't for Paul the league would never have grown so fast or have been so well organized. Paul also wanted to promote the League to the players and did so by organizing Newsletters and "Year End Wrap up Awards Nights " This gave all players an opportunity to see and hear about what was happening in TF at the Provincial and National levels...Paul was a true Builder of the league in its early years and all those involved in TF today owe him a great deal of gratitude for his tireless contributions that ensured the league would survive and thrive.

-Larry Doan