Football legend Normie Kwong was named Alberta's new lieutenant-governor Wednesday by Prime Minister Paul Martin.
"Norman Kwong is an inspiration for many Canadians," Martin said in a release.
"His many contributions, as a professional athlete, as a business person and as a prominent figure in society, speak to his commitment to the people of Alberta.
"He will serve his province and his country well."
Born in Calgary in 1929 to Chinese immigrants, Kwong becomes Alberta's first lieutenant-governor of Asian heritage.
In 1948, he also became the first Chinese Canadian to play in the Canadian Football League and was dubbed the China Clipper for his ferocity as a running back.
During his CFL career, he won four Grey Cups, one with the Calgary Stampeders when he was only 18, and three consecutive championships in 1954-56 with the Edmonton Eskimos.
He was named Canadian Athlete of the Year in 1955 and, since then, his skill and sportsmanship have been recognized by his induction into the CFL Hall of Fame in 1969 and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1975.
Kwong was named a member of the Order of Canada in 1998.
After retiring as a football player in 1960, Kwong established a successful career in real estate and became part-owner and director of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames until he sold his interest in 1994.
In 1988, Kwong became president and general manager of his former football squad, the Stampeders. Many credited him with turning around the fortunes of the near-bankrupt franchise.
He has also continued to be active in the community. In 1979-80, he was the national chairman of the Canadian Consultative Council on Multiculturalism and has also served as honorary chairman of the Calgary Easter Seal campaign.
A bursary is named in his honour at the University of Calgary faculty of medicine.