Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Ron Rappel, BSc 85

Ron Rappel served as Concordia’s head athletic therapist from 1986 to 2004 and was the architect of the university’s modern athletic therapy program. At a time when services were fragmented and team-specific, he established a centralized model that provided comprehensive medical care to all varsity athletes.

Ron built and led an extensive student internship program, mentoring hundreds of athletic therapy students while ensuring consistent, high-quality care across every varsity team. He developed strong physician partnerships, continually improved clinical operations, and played a key role in establishing full-time athletic therapy and strength and conditioning positions to better support athlete health and performance.

In addition to his clinical leadership, Ron served as an associate professor in Exercise Science, teaching emergency care and related coursework. Nationally, he served as President of the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association and helped bring its national conference to Concordia University.

Ron’s leadership set enduring standards for athlete care and athletic therapy education at Concordia. After leaving the university, he became a highly successful healthcare entrepreneur and business leader.

Pat Sheahan, BSc 78, Gr Dip 81, MA 99

Pat began his career at Concordia in 1975 as a member of the varsity Stinger football team from 1975 to 1979. He was selected as the team’s Most Improved Player as a sophomore in 1976. He captained the football team in ’77 and ’78 and was selected Most Outstanding Lineman in 1977. Pat was the recipient of the Dr Robert Brodrick Award as male academic athlete in his graduating year in 1978.

Following five years as a physical education specialist with the MCSC in Montreal, Pat embarked on a highly successful 45-year football coaching career. He went to the National Championship five times with five different organizations, three of which were in Montreal – the Montreal Junior Concordes, the McGill University Redmen and the Concordia University Stingers. He also went to two additional championships with Queen’s and Calgary respectively.

Pat was selected OQIFC Coach of the Year in ’90 and ’98 while at Concordia, OUA Coach of the Year in ’01,’07 and ’08 at Queen’s. He was also the recipient of the Frank Tindall Award as National Coach of the Year in 2008. In 2010 Pat was further recognized as OUA Male Coach of the Year in any sport.

Ron Aboud, BComm 91

Ron Aboud is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in Concordia Stingers history and a defining leader of the program’s modern era. Starter from his first game in 1987 through 1991 and team captain for three seasons, he never missed a game and graduated as the conference’s all-time leader in career completions and passing yards.

Ron was a conference nominee for national Rookie of the Year, a three-time Shrine Bowl MVP, a two-time All-Conference selection, and a Second-Team All-Canadian quarterback in 1990. That year, he earned the Alouette Alumni Award as Quebec’s top university football player and was a Hec Crighton Trophy conference nominee as national MVP, confirming his status among the elite quarterbacks in Canadian university football.

Recognized for both academic and athletic excellence, he received multiple leadership and dedication awards, including the Fondation de l’Athlète d’Excellence du Québec entrance scholarship recipient, the Russ Blackwell Award for Most Dedicated Football Player, and the Merit Award for Commitment to Excellence in Varsity Sport.

Ron finished his playing career as a professional starting quarterback and team captain of the Aix-en-Provence Argonautes in France. Beyond that, he made lasting contributions as a championship-winning coach at Vanier College, developing future university all-star quarterbacks.

Patricia Demers, BA 95, MSc 99

Patricia started playing basketball at the age of 11. As a teenager, she practiced track and field and basketball. She did her college studies at Cégep Ahuntsic in commerce, where she won three provincial championships and two Canadian championships, in addition to being named All-Canadian two years in a row.

She continued her academic and athletic career at Concordia University, where she completed a bachelor's degree in applied social sciences and a master's degree in administrative sciences with a concentration in management.

During her five years at Concordia, she was named to the provincial first team all-star roster five times and won two provincial championships. She then played professionally in Switzerland before beginning her career in sports management. Since 2011, she has worked at the Aléo Foundation and, since 2016, as its Executive Director, with a mission to support student-athletes in their academic and athletic pursuits. She is a former scholarship recipient of the Foundation while playing for the Stingers.

Sharon Sandy, BA 94

Sharon Sandy’s skill, intensity and passion for the game is what defined her Concordia basketball career. Her elite athleticism and unmatched speed made Sharon one of the most versatile and recognized guards in the Quebec Student Sports Federation (QSSF) and Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (CIAU).

After the 1990-1991 season, Sharon earned QSSF honours as Rookie of the Year, she was awarded the Laurie Brodrick Award for Outstanding Female Freshman Athlete and was selected for the CIAU All Canadian Rookie Squad. She received three consecutive QSSF All Star awards from 1991 to 1994 and earned Sunlife “Athlete of the Month” in April 1992. 

Sharon was a dedicated captain, who led her teammates to the 1994 QSSF provincial title and secured a place at the CIAU Nationals in Calgary, Alberta that same year. Under her leadership, this team was also honoured by Concordia University as Female University Team of the Year.

In 2012, Sharon was recognized for her tremendous contribution to the game of basketball at the post-secondary level when she was inducted to the Champlain College Hall of Fame. In 2021 Sharon returned to Concordia to share her knowledge and passion for the game as an Assistant Coach.