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Lander, Irv

(2/3/1917-5/29/1998)

{From Disc Dogs! The Complete Guide] Although the dogs themselves frequently get the accolades (and rightfully so), we would not be where we are today without the incredible dedication, drive, energy, and support of Irv Lander, who was always a dog lover.

After seeing these great dogs perform, Lander felt that an opportunity existed to provide a sponsor with an attention-grabbing event and dog lovers with an exciting sport. A competition would serve many purposes. For a sponsor, it would provide a unique promotional opportunity. For dog owners, it would physically challenge them to learn new throws, tricks and techniques. For dogs it would provide great exercise and an opportunity to compete as a team with their owners.

Lander, who had worked closely for many years with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Los Angeles, felt that an additional side benefit of the sport of canine disc would be to encourage people to adopt pets from shelters. And what better way to take that message to the masses than with canine disc competitions?

The first canine disc contest of note was held in 1974 at California State University at Fullerton, with radio station KFI and Wham-O as co-sponsors. It was called the First Annual Fearless Fido Frisbee Fetching Fracas. What a classic name! More than 100 canines were entered. Alex Stein and Ashley Whippet were considered ringers (too professional) and were not allowed to compete. Two of Ashley’s good friends, Eldon McIntire with Hyper Hank and Ken Gorman with Schatzie, took the top honors.

The next major canine disc event was a series of demonstrations sponsored by Wham-O at the Rose Bowl during the 1974 World Frisbee Championships. Following that, the competition series that existed at the time became known as Catch & Fetch contests sponsored by Kal Kan.

In the early days, the contest was typically held in conjunction with the World Frisbee Championships at the Rose Bowl. Later, with the support of a corporate sponsor, Lander was able to redesign the event so that it could stand on its own.

From 1978-1988, Gaines Dog Foods maintained the sponsorship of the world championships for disc-catching athletes. In 1989 there was no national sponsor. From 1990-2000, various Nestlé dog food brands, including ALPO and Come ’N Get It continued sponsorship of the national series in the U.S., which was composed of numerous local competitions, six regional championships and a world finals. Regardless of the sponsorship arrangement, competitors typically referred to the event as the Ashley Whippet Invitational or AWI.

In 1990, to honor Lander’s efforts, we proposed the idea of a trophy cup to honor the man who meant so much to the sport. We designed the cup and had it made by an established trophy shop in Atlanta. The members of the AWI Celebrity Touring Team (Peter Bloeme, Eldon McIntire, Jeff Perry, and Alex Stein) shared the costs of what would become the Lander Cup and presented it to Lander at the World Finals Awards Banquet. 

Lander made many sacrifices to establish the sport. He worked on a shoestring budget the first few years, staying in unsavory motels while on the road, and spent a great deal of his personal savings in order to ensure the contest’s success.

Sadly, in 1998, Irv Lander passed away. Much loved by his loyal staff and indeed, by the entire disc dog community, Lander was undoubtedly, the right man, at the right time, for a very important job. Any movement of significance needs a father and Lander was not only the father of disc dog sports, but a father figure for many of us, during the important formative years of canine disc sports.