An attendee of Kelvin High School, Irving skipped college at a chance to play professional football.
As a rookie, Irving helped his team make the 33rd Grey Cup; however, they lost 0–35 against the Toronto Argonauts.
[2] He appeared in all eight games during the 1946 season, starting seven and helping his team reach the championship for the second consecutive year.
For the third straight season, Winnipeg made the Grey Cup, but again lost to the Argonauts, this time by a score of 9–10.
He was a starter in all fourteen games in the 1949 season, earning second-team all-Western honors as the Blue Bombers finished with a 2–12 record.