Concordia alumni key to Montreal Alouettes’ 2023 Grey Cup victory

“It was a tight game, but we found a way to climb back,” says Montreal Alouettes CEO Mark Weightman, BComm 96, of the team’s stunning win in the last seconds of the 2023 Grey Cup.  Along with Weightman, several Concordia alumni were part of the team that carried the Montreal Alouettes to victory on the field — with former Concordia Stingers player and Alouettes offensive lineman Kristian Matte — but also behind the scenes. 

For Weightman, the team’s 2023 Grey Cup victory was a perfect end to a challenging year. 

“We had lots of setbacks. We were not picked to win the Grey Cup. In the winter, we didn’t have an owner and our general manager was unable to re-sign all our star players. We were picked to finish last in the league in the 2023 season!”

Weightman was determined to turn things around when he returned as CEO of the Alouettes in the spring of 2023. He had been with the team in a number of different roles for 20 years, including as chief operating officer, vice-president of Operations and Events, director of Logistics, and then took a seven-year hiatus starting in 2016.

“I worked in different leagues and different countries, different cultures and different sports and I brought back a lot more tools in my toolbox after being away.”

When he returned to the Alouettes, Weightman says he set out to create alignment between the different levels of the organization. “The owner, general manager, head coach, other coaches and players all have to agree on the same values.”

Alignment fosters stability in the Alouettes organization so players can concentrate on their game, he says. “Coaches and players need to be able to focus 24 hours a day, seven days a week on football. They need to know that the organization believes in them, cares about them, and has their best interests at heart at all times.”

‘We want to put on the best show possible’

Weightman is grateful for the hard work of fellow Concordia graduates Tristan Castonguay, BSc 22, head therapist; Julie Lamoureux, BSc 22, assistant sports therapist; and Rico Morotti, GrDip 00, head video coordinator. “We wouldn’t have been able to do what we did this year without them. They put the people back together again and make sure they can play.”

A few months after the Grey Cup, Weightman is determined to keep the momentum going. “The success of the team is built on three things: We want to have an opportunity to win a championship every year. We want to put on the best show possible at the stadium on game day. And we want to play an active role in the community. Those are the winning ingredients.”

Montreal Alouettes offensive lineman Kristian Matte says winning the 2023 Grey Cup was “the ultimate high.”

Matte — who studied Leisure Studies at Concordia and played for the Concordia Stingers from 2006 to 2010 — was the first player to raise the Cup after the victory.

“I’ve been with the team for such a long time, I wanted to be first,” says Matte, who finished his 13th season with the Alouettes in 2023.