By Anil Jhalli
On Saturday, October 5th, a football rivalry between the University of Ottawa and Carleton University was reborn. For the first time in 15 years, the Gee-Gees and the Ravens competed in the historic Panda Game. The venue: the Gee-Gees’ brand new – and long-awaited – on-campus Lees Ave. stadium. A sold-out crowd of over 4,000 excited and energetic football fans were on hand.
Young players wearing black & red and garnet & grey – none of whom had likely ever seen a Panda Game but fully understanding of the tradition involved – were humbled by the opportunity to be part of a new chapter in a storied battle.
“It’s a tremendous honour to be part of a game like this,” said Gee-Gees quarterback Aaron Colbon, the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School grad. “The history behind this game means so much not only to the two schools but to all the alumni involved. We are all just excited to have it back.”
The Panda Game began in 1955. Pedro the Panda was born and would be awarded to the winning team of the annual showdown between the two local universities. Up to 1998, 44 Panda Games were played, with the Gee-Gees leading the series 31-13, even though the Ravens won the inaugural edition by a score of 14-6. And on a beautiful and sunny Saturday afternoon in 2013, the home side drew first blood in the renewed rivalry.
Former St. Francis-Xavier Coyote Tunde Adeleke got the nod for the most exciting play of the game, displaying the jets that made him a high school star en route to a CIS-record-tying 129-yard missed field goal touchdown return. That brought his Ravens to within four in the second quarter, but the 4-3 Gee-Gees cruised on to a 35-10 victory, and for the first time since 1998, brought home Pedro the Panda along with bragging rights between the two schools. At least for the next year.
Gee-Gees coach Jamie Barresi, who played quarterback for Ottawa U from 1976-1979, was excited to once again be part of a Panda Game. “I was really impressed with how everything was set up,” Barresi remarked. “It was just great to see all these people come out and support both teams. Everything was just first-class today and it was really exciting to see.”
Without a Ravens team, there is no Panda Game. And after Carleton’s football program was shut down in 1998, many wondered if there would ever be football at the school again. Fast forward to the present, and thanks to some financial backing from the Old Crows group led by Ottawa entrepreneur John Ruddy, a Raven from 1970-1975, the football program at Carleton is back.
“The atmosphere on campus right now is absolutely incredible,” underlined Ravens head coach Steve Sumarah. “There is so much energy and so much excitement. Everyone is just happy to have football back.”
Leon Cenerini, linebacker for the 0-6 Ravens, was impressed by the Panda Game atmosphere. “We were treating the game like it was any other game we were preparing for,” he explained. “But just to see all these people and knowing the importance behind this game, it is exciting and it was great just to be part of it.”
Echoing his coach’s sentiments, Cenerini is excited about the future of Ravens football. “The fans are always out supporting us and today, they were really loud,” he noted. “We believe in us as a team and we believe in our coaches and there is nowhere to go except up from here.”