Perkins: Cohon in the running to head Pan Am Games

The name of CFL commissioner Mark Cohon has surfaced among those searching for the person to run the 2015 Pan Am Games.

Headhunter firm Odgers Berndtson was retained by the Canadian Olympic Committee to uncover candidates to fill the vital role of chief executive officer of the Games themselves. And, according to separate sources, Cohon's name is high on the list.

There are obvious candidates for the job, starting with outgoing COC chief Chris Rudge, who was part of the Pan Am Games bid, and Jagoda Pike, former publisher of the Star and Hamilton Spectator who was co-chair of the bid.

John Tory was mentioned, but Tory declined because, as one source said, "He's definitely going to run for mayor'' of Toronto.

Cohon's name arises even though he has been in his CFL job only since March of 2007.

"He's exactly what they're looking for,'' one source said. "He's smart, young, connected, knows the area and has a good sports background.''

A chairman of the board will be named in about a week and the board, with the province of Ontario retaining right of refusal, will select the CEO probably by the end of January. The 12-member board will be in place by the end of the month and will consist of four members from the COC, three from the Canadian Paralympic Committee, three each from the Ontario and federal governments and one from the city of Toronto.

In terms of building Games facilities themselves, one name proposed as a possible construction czar is Hamilton native Bill Senn, who helped Toronto native Jay Cross build the Air Canada Centre. The two later collaborated on American Airlines Arena in Miami and began the Jets-Giants joint stadium in New Jersey, among other projects.