#McGillPride

McGill is a university to be proud of and its students certainly prove its high caliber year after year. Since its early days, McGill students have pioneered new sports and have risen to become world-ranked athletes. To be a part of this legacy is daunting and inspiring. With the McGill name printed on our jerseys comes a reputation for excellence, good sportsmanship and hard work. To join the #McGillPride bandwagon, here are some points to be proud of:

-       May 13 and 14, 1874: McGill played Harvard in the first ever football game in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

-       The McGill Hockey Club, the world’s first official hockey team, was formed in 1877.

-       In 1891, James Naismith (BA 1887 in Physical Education) invented the sport of basketball.

-       Percy Nobbs was the first McGillian to represent Canada at the Olympics. He competed at the 1908 London Olympics in fencing.

Some more contemporary people and teams to be proud of:

-       The McGill Martlets hockey team is ranked first in the country.

-       The McGill Redmen are the defending national champions in hockey.

-       The McGill Rowing Club has produced a heap of world-ranked athletes and Olympians: Alison Korn, already an accomplished rower on the world stage, won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic games. Mara Jones and Sarah Pape, two former McGill rowers, placed eighth and seventh respectively at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The following year, Mara won gold at the World Rowing Championships in Japan.

-       This fall, the McGill men’s badminton team won their first tournament in school history.

-       The cross-country running Martlets captured the provincial title this fall for the third year in a row. What’s even more impressive is their consecutive winning streak from 1988 to 2007.

-       Brianna Miller, who plays rugby for the Martlets, was named player of the year for 2012 in the RSEQ women’s rugby league. Since 2010, she has scored 270 points in 19 league games.

-       A notable McGillian is Mike Babcock. Graduated in 1986, he currently coaches the Detroit Red Wings.

-       Also hockey royalty, Montreal Canadiens goalie and six-time Stanley Cup winner Ken Dryden graduated from McGill with a Bachelor of Laws in 1973.

-       In 2002, Kim St-Pierre (B. Ed. ’05) became McGill’s first female Olympic gold medalist. She played on the Canadian women’s hockey team in the 2002 and 2006 Olympics.

-       Jennifer Heil, a well-decorated freestyle skier, currently studies management and political science at McGill.

Are you proud of our fellow McGillians’ accomplishments? I definitely am!

#McGillPride

- Marlet Girl