Story and Photos by Joseph Mathieu
More than 360 Carleton University Ravens supporters and players, past and current, filled the EY Centre hall at the 2017 Ravens football dinner on April 7, where several generations of football alumni toasted a record-breaking 2016 football season.
“Six and two this season,” said beaming head coach Steve Sumarah. “We hosted our first playoff game in 30 years.”
The fourth year of rebooted Ravens joined the Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) top 10 and several players were named U Sports All-Canadians student-athletes. Honoured alongside these successes were the efforts of Carleton officials, philanthropists and veteran players. The work to get Carleton football back in the air went as far back as 2010.
“I think almost everyone would agree with me, if not for the vision and efforts of (President) Roseann Runte representing the university, along with the monetary contribution and passion of John Ruddy . . . Carleton football would not be back,” said former player Bill Beaton.
The Old Crow Society, a group of Ravens football alumni, inducted 12 graduating players into their midst, the first inductees in almost 20 years. Bruce MacGregor of the Society spoke on behalf of almost 30 Ravens from the 1965 to 1969 team, and found many encouraging similarities between the team from 50 years ago and the one today.
Building from Scratch
Sumarah co-ordinated the ceremony through most of evening while CTV Ottawa’s Terry Marcotte hosted. Sumarah presented the 2017 recruiting class alongside dazzling videos and thanked each of his graduating players for joining his new program to “build it from scratch.”
Quarterback Jesse Mills, who was nominated for MVP and won offensive player of the year award alongside running back Jayde Rowe, thanked Sumarah for “bringing on staff 16 of the most talented coaches from around this country.”
Wide receiver Nate Behar, currently a top CFL draft pick, won most valuable player award. Kwabena Asare, awarded lineman of the year, was another Raven shortlisted by the CFL scouting bureau in September. Also being watched by the CFL, Tunde Adeleke, won special teams player of the year. Running back Nathan Carter won rookie of the year and Leon Cenerini won both the Sam Leo Award and defensive player of the year.
The new prize named for philanthropist John Ruddy (BArch/75), was given to defensive lineman Jeremy Rioux, who best exemplified excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
The Power to Change the World
Following the awards, a keynote speech delivered by Ontario Justice Hugh Fraser opened with Nelson Mandela’s description of how sport has the power to change the world.
“It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand.’’
Although his young son Mark plays for the Edmonton Oilers and he rarely missed a high school football game of his eldest son Curtis, Fraser did not come from a family of sports advocates. His family emigrated from Jamaica once his father completed his studies at Queen’s.
“Education was all that seemed to matter in our household,” said Fraser. “There was just one problem. Shortly after my arrival in Canada, the boys in my neighbourhood introduced me to sports.”
When he discovered football, Fraser fell in love, and at Lisgar Collegiate he joined the track team. He later won a bronze at the 1975 Pan American Games relay race, and, as a 24-year-old sprinter, Fraser represented Canada at the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics. In 1977 he was drafted by the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, even while he was part of the national track and field team from ’71 to ’80.
He completed his bar admission’s course at Carleton in 1979 and, realizing he only had one year of sports eligibility left, he enrolled to play with the Ravens.
The lifelong athlete and current president and adjudicator of many international sporting associations gave a rousing speech about the ways sport had changed his life.
“Sport unites us in ways that have no parallel,” he concluded. “Modern-day Carleton Ravens are playing some tremendous football. Perhaps with that, the cup is not far away. And were that to happen, there’s no doubt that those players would be forever united in sharing that success.”
Tuesday, April 11, 2017 in Feature Stories
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