Hockey executives, an Olympian curler, two athletes turned cabinet ministers… and a two-time Hart Trophy winner?
1. Peter Chiarelli
Chiarelli grew up in Nepean and played hockey at Harvard University in the 1980s, even serving as the captain of the team. Best known for exasperating Oiler’s fans during his tenure as general manager of Edmonton’s National Hockey League franchise, Chiarelli attended the U of O’s law school before being called to the Ontario Bar in 1993.
2. Jacques Martin
Speaking of hockey executives, the U of O has produced a successful one. Jacques Martin grew up just east of Ottawa in Saint-Pascal-Baylon. Martin’s name is likely familiar with Senator’s fans, as he coached the team to eight straight playoff appearances in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Martin stood between the pipes for the Gee-Gees during the 1975-76 season, and is currently a senior advisor for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League.
3. Neil Lumsden
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) inducted Neil Lumsden in 2014, after a stellar Canadian Football League (CFL) career that included four Grey Cups. Before professional football, the running back led the Gee-Gees to a perfect 11-0 season in 1975. In that year’s Vanier Cup, the dual threat racked up 169 yards rushing while also kicking for two extra point conversions. Lumsden was awarded the Canadian Football League’s rookie of the year award the following season. In 2022, the London, ON native was elected to provincial parliament in the provincial riding of Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, and was later named Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport by Premier Doug Ford.
4. Rachel Homan
Growing up in Orleans, Rachel Homan began excelling as a curler as early as the age of five. Homan qualified for her first event on the World Curling Tour in 2009 — while the 20-year old was still completing a Human Kinetics degree from the U of O. Homan skipped for Canada’s entry into the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, and would appear again as part of Canada’s mixed doubles team at Beijing in 2022. In addition, Homan’s team throughout the years included other U of O alumni; Lisa Weagle graduated with a Communications degree in 2008, while Adam Kingsbury, a PhD resident in clinical psychology, coached the team.
5. Carla Qualtrough
Another former star athlete attended the U of O before being named to a cabinet position: Carla Qualtrough, a star swimmer. The Calgary, AB native was born with just 10 per cent vision, and went on to earn a total of three bronze medals in the 1988 and 1992 Paralympics. During that same time, Qualtrough was earning a Political Science degree from the U of O, graduating in 1993. Qualtrough later obtained a law degree from the University of Victoria, and began working on human rights issues. In 2015, the lawyer was elected to Federal Parliament, and was subsequently named Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
6. Pierre Dufault
Born and raised in Lowertown, Pierre Dufault began his journalism career at the age of 17, where he wrote for Le Droit, a French-language city paper. But by his own admission, Dufault was let go for poor writing and enrolled at the U of O in the early 1950s. Dufault went on to report on and call CFL matches during the 1950s and 1960s on the radio, and on television in the 1970s and 1980s. The commentator covered 12 different Olympics games from 1972 until 1998, again beginning with radio and moving onto television. In 2001, the legendary broadcaster was inducted into the CFHOF’s reporters section.
7. Brad Sinopoli
Lumsden wasn’t the only star player to come out of the Gee-Gees program — Brad Sinopoli starred as the team’s quarterback during the late 2000s. The Peterborough native even won the Hec Creighton Trophy in his final year with the team as the most outstanding player in Canada. But it was at Wide Receiver that Sinopoli would star as in the CFL. After a few years of playing down on the depth chart, Sinopoli was moved to wideout in 2013 for the Montreal Alouettes. Sinopoli would go on to win two Grey Cups, earning the championship’s Most Valuable Canadian award in his second trip to the Cup in 2016. Sinopoli would also rack up two Most Outstanding Canadian Awards during the regular season, in 2015 and 2018, both while playing for the Ottawa Redblacks
8. Lewis Ward
Another star Redblack was also first introduced to Ottawa fans with the Gee-Gees. Growing up in England until the middle of grade eight, Lewis Ward grew up playing soccer — which helped him become one of the best kickers in U SPORTS history. Ward finished his university career second all-time for made field goals in the country. During his rookie season in the CFL in 2018, Ward set the CFL record for consecutive field goals made; the kicker first set the rookie record with 22, then broke the all-time mark with 33, and continued on to break the professional football (including National Football League) record, with 45. Ward continued the streak into the following season, when he finally missed a kick after making 69 previous consecutively.
9. Fannie Desforges
Fannie Desforges came to the Gee-Gees women’s hockey team in 2008, and would proceed to rack up 29 goals across 78 regular season games. Desforges served as the team’s captain during her final year, after completing a social sciences degree, and while finishing a Bachelors of Education. Desforges went on to play two seasons in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, but it was in another sport where she would be most well-known — somehow, an even harder sport than hockey. Sporting the nickname “Fearless Fannie”, the 5’6” Fournier, QC native won a gold medal competing in Red Bull Crashed Ice in 2012.
10. Bill Cowley
Who says that Gee-Gees can’t go on to star in the NHL? Ok, maybe things were a bit different 90 years ago, but I digress. Bill “Cowboy” Cowley played 13 seasons in the NHL for the St. Louis Eagles and Boston Bruins, winning two Hart Memorial Trophies as the league’s MVP along the way. Born in Quebec and raised in the Ottawa valley, Cowley first starred locally, where he played high school, amateur, and later university hockey. Cowley played for the Gee-Gees during the 1932-33 season, along with his brother Daniel. According to a 1933 edition of La Rotonde, Bill didn’t accompany the team to the university championships that year, against Western, because his senior team (the Ottawa Shamrocks) wouldn’t allow it. Cowley finished his storied pro career with 548 points in 549 games, was the first player in league history to reach 300 assists and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1968.
