Athlete, coach and builder Glen Campbell will enter the Glengarry Gym

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MAXVILLE — A former Junior B hockey MVP, varsity soccer athlete and endurance sports athlete will be inducted into the Glengarry Sports Hall of Fame next week.

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Glen Campbell’s athletic journey began at a young age, and he continues to serve as an inspiration and role model for athletes of all ages at Glengarry.

Born in Montreal in 1969 to parents Sheila and the late Donald Campbell, the family moved to Glen Nevis in 1977, where Glen continues to reside in the family home. It didn’t take long for Campbell to get active and play the minor sports offered in his community, playing on teams with the Minor Hockey Association, the Glengarry Soccer League and the North Lancaster Minor Softball League.

At age 16, Campbell became a member of the Alexandria Jr. B Glens and remained with the team until age 21. During that time, he captained the Glens for three seasons, earned three team MVP honors, and won the league’s MVP award in 1990. The Glens have won the division three times and twice made it to the Ontario East Finals.

“Glen came from a championship midget team at the Jr. B Glens, (and) I had the privilege of being his coach because he came with natural leadership qualities and had a natural goalscoring knack,” said the former coach and member of the Glengarry Sports Hall of Fame. says Roch Lajoie.

“Glen’s team spirit has helped the Glens perform at their best. He gave 100% all the time, which he continues to give in his community and his profession.

Campbell was a high school teacher for 26 years, 25 of which were at his alma mater, Glengarry District High School in Alexandria. A math and science teacher, Campbell continues to teach the unique outdoor education program developed by the late Tina Cairncross (2019 inductee into the Glengarry Sports Hall of Fame).

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Campbell is very proud to have had the opportunity to coach his three daughters, Ella (19), Mya (17) and Jada (15) in soccer, hockey and cross-country running at various times over the years. . One of his most special sports memories dates back to 2013 – he completed the New York City Marathon with his wife Sheila (MacDougall).

Campbell currently combines his own sports schedule to focus on coaching, and he has 92 different teams he has coached recreationally and at the school level since he started coaching in the early 1990s.

When Glengarry soccer teams reach the provincial level of OFSSA, all of Glengarry takes notice. Campbell has coached 11 of the GDHS football teams that have qualified for OFSAA, earning him two gold medals in 2014 and 2019 and three silver medals in 1999, 2010 and 2012.

Retired teacher Laurent Rivard returned to GDHS to help Campbell on the senior men’s soccer team in 2006, and he shared how impressed he was with his skills as a coach.

“Glen’s training mantra follows the same train of thought as an athlete training for a marathon,” Rivard said. “Success on the soccer field requires long-term preparations for the team. The high school soccer season lasts a few weeks, but training for this team begins months before kickoff.

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Campbell’s young adult days in sports included playing varsity hockey with the Concordia Stingers for part of a season before committing full-time to his soccer program.

Football is his true sporting passion. He played minor soccer in the GSL and played on the senior men’s team at Glen Nevis for over 20 years, including a stint with the veterans division. The team won three league titles in the early 90s and Campbell was named league MVP six times.

As a student at GDHS, Campbell played for the senior men’s soccer team and represented his school and community at OFSAA three times.

In 1991 at Concordia, Campbell earned a spot on the college football roster and played throughout his undergraduate degree. In 1993, Campbell was selected as the Stingers’ team captain and won the team MVP award. That same year, he was named to the first all-star team in the province of Quebec.

Campbell continued his education by earning his Bachelor of Education degree at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, and during that year again played varsity soccer.

After college, Campbell took up running, biking and triathlon. He has completed 25 marathons, including nine Boston Marathons and one Ironman distance triathlon. Campbell achieved his personal best in 2011 by running the Ottawa Marathon at the age of 42.

It was in 2000 that Campbell initiated and organized the Glengarry Cancer Run/Walk to honor the memory of his late father. Over its 10-year history, this event has received tremendous support from the community and has raised $140,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Glen Campbell is one of five inductees entering the Glengarry Sports Hall of Fame at its banquet to be held in Maxville on August 17. More information about the event can be found on the Hall of Fame website, glengarrysports.ca

— Rewritten from the files of the Glengarry Sports Hall of Fame and Mary Leduc