EDMONTON - Larry Thompson loved football and Edmonton. When he purchased the Edmonton Elks CFL franchise a year ago he was, as general manager Ed Hervey says, like a kid in a candy store.

A day after the announcement of Thompson’s death after complications following surgery, Hervey spoke of the team owner’s enthusiasm for the franchise, his passion for the community and how he recognized how important football was to Edmonton.

"It was almost like a kid at the candy store, and he finally got in," Hervey, a former player, told a media gathering after the Elks practice Friday. "It was his opportunity to own the club and save the franchise…keeping the legacy of this team moving forward."

The 65-year-old Thompson was a longtime season-ticket holder who bought the community-owned franchise in

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