Advancing Stingers football
“People will forget the score, but you never will forget your teammates and the moments you shared together. They last a lifetime.” — Gerry McGrath, Concordia Stingers football team head coach.
Coach McGrath’s inspirational words certainly ring true for Ron Aboud, the Stingers quarterback from 1987 to 1991. More than a decade and a half after his playing days, the Concordia John Molson School of Business (JMSB) alumnus was approached by McGrath in 2007 to join the Champions Club — a fundraising group established in 2007.
The club’s main goal is to raise money for student athletic scholarships and bursaries. “Back in my day, not many students could have made the choice between their education and a career in athletics and we didn’t have many options for scholarships,” Aboud recalls.
During his years with the Stingers, the team never won a championship. “We were a determined group and we were building the foundation for an all-out competitive team in the years to come” says Aboud. “We had the heart to hold the top spot, but we didn’t have the funding for better equipment.”
Wayne Spooner, who played receiver and defensive back for the club from 1983 to1986, was also approached by McGrath to join the Champions Club at its inception. He remembers the camaraderie of the teammates like it was yesterday. “When I look at the players on the field today, I see myself and my friends. That’s why I wanted to help build up these boys into great athletes,” he says.
Five years ago, Ghislain Arsenault, also a JMSB graduate, gained McGrath’s attention when he asked what it would take for the Stingers to finish first in the league and beat Université Laval’s mighty Rouge et Or team. When the coach responded that more funding was needed, Arsenault instantly joined the fledgling Champions Club. “We have grown a lot since then and we are hoping to raise more than $100,000 this year,” he reports.
Arsenault believes that a Champions Club member becomes more than a financial contributor; he or she joins the family of Stingers players. “I know a dozen or more of these players on a first-name basis,” he says. ”My wife even bakes them cookies for after the game. They know that they can always call me for support, a job reference — anything.”
From Fred Pye’s point of view, when Canada wins an Olympic gold medal, the country is fuelled with pride for months to come, yet many people fail to see the bigger picture: thousands upon thousands of dollars have been invested in these athletes’ training and support. That’s why he joined the Champions Club after he was invited to its annual dinner two years ago.
“I wanted to see my team, the Stingers, finally win the Vanier Cup [football championship],” Pye says. “I knew the more personal support they received, the more school spirit we could build and the stronger we could make the team.”
Pye remembers how he and his friends would religiously attend Stingers games every Saturday afternoon. “It’s important that we remember the past so that we can build a strong future for our Stingers’ teams.”
This year’s Champions Club dinner will recognize the longstanding achievements of its Stingers championship players from 1962, 1972 and 1982.
“Anyone can become a Champions Club member,” explains Catherine Grace, Concordia Recreation and Athletics’ coordinator of sports information and publications. “Becoming a member is a humbling experience and brings a sense of belonging that will help us become the strongest team we have set out to be. That’s why we are commemorating our championship players from ’62, ’72 and ’82.”
The Concordia Football Champions Dinner is Saturday, September 29, 2012. Cocktails start at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Montreal-Midtown, 420 Sherbrooke St. W. For further information or to register contact Ghislain Arsenault at 514-949-9004.
Related links
• Concordia Football Champions Dinner
• Concordia Department of Recreation and Athletics
• Football News