HIGH ACHIEVERS: Gee-Gees Football Hall of Fame welcomes coach Cam Innes, players Andrew Grigg, Mark Raphael

By Martin Cleary

The dog days of summer are in full bloom and the university gymnasiums and outdoor fields are absent of meaningful intercollegiate varsity sports competition.

But that doesn’t stop varsity and club programs from announcing important news, whether it’s the latest football hall-of-fame inductees, new assistant coaches in rugby and hockey, a national championship in field lacrosse or international basketball trips.

There’s lots to tackle here, so let’s get to it.

The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Football Hall of Fame announced three new members on Wednesday – builder and four-year head coach Cam Innes, receiver Andrew Grigg and cornerback Mark Raphael.

When they’re inducted during an Oct. 3 dinner at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, the Gee-Gees Football Hall of Fame membership will increase to 93 athletes, builders and teams.

Innes became the Gee-Gees’ first full-time football coach in the history of the program in 1978 and his challenge was to rebuild the team into a national threat.

His two best seasons were the middle two of his four-year term from 1978-1981. After the Gee-Gees posted a 5-1 regular-season record in 1979, Innes and his coaching staff led the team to the 1980 College Bowl (now the Vanier Cup).

Ottawa went 6-1 in the 1980 regular season and posted three playoff victories – defeating Bishop’s Gaiters 22-10 in the Ontario-Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference semifinals, Queen’s Golden Gaels 13-12 in the Dunsmore Cup conference final and Acadia Axemen 28-8 in the Atlantic Bowl. In the College Bowl national championship, the Gee-Gees fell short 40-21 to the University of Alberta Golden Bears in Toronto.

Innes was named the national coach of the year in 1980 and was a three-time conference head coach of the year – with the St. Francis Xavier X-Men in 1977 and Ottawa in 1979 (Ontario Universities Athletic Association) and 1980 (O-QIFC).

This will be the second time Innes will be inducted into the Gee-Gees Football Hall of Fame. He entered as part of the 1980 team during a ceremony in 2021.

Grigg (1990-92) compiled 1,100 receiving yards in his career and was the O-QIFC conference’s top receiver in 1991 with 600 yards on 37 receptions and five touchdowns.

He completed his university career in 1992 with a team-high 28 catches for 435 yards and 21 points. Grigg showed his versatility in emergency situations by serving as a backup quarterback and kicker.

Grigg was drafted by the Hamilton Tiger Cats in 1994 and played eight seasons in the CFL. He was a CFL East All-Star in 1998 and 2001 and totalled 5,309 yards in 127 career games. Grigg also was a member of Hamilton’s Grey Cup winning team in 1999.

Opposing teams feared the coverage of Raphael (1993-97) and stayed away from his cornerback area.

“Typical of high-performing corners, his pass protection skills were measured more in how often teams avoided his coverage than in his scoresheet tallies,” the Gee-Gees Football Hall of Fame announcement stated.

For the record, Raphael notched 44 tackles and four interceptions over five regular seasons. He was a key part of the Gee-Gees’ three consecutive Dunsmore Cup conference championship wins (1995-97) and was a first-team All-Canadian in 1996 and 1997. Raphael also played in the 1997 Vanier Cup, which was won by the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 39-23.

Raphael was selected in the 1997 CFL draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but he returned to the Gee-Gees in the fall for his fifth and final season.

GEE-GEES, RAVENS WELCOME FULL-TIME ASSISTANT COACHES

There will be three new full-time assistant coaches on the sidelines for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees and the Carleton University Ravens.

Emily Tuttosi has accepted the job as the full-time assistant coach for the women’s rugby team.

The Souris, MB, resident made her international debut as a player in 2018, helped Canada win the silver medal at the 2025 World Cup and scored three tries against Japan in the 2021 World Cup. She returned to Canada this year, after playing six years for England’s Exeter Chiefs.

She also played five seasons for the University of Calgary Dinos, was a four-time Canada West all-star and an All-Canadian in 2016.

“There is a lovely atmosphere around the University of Ottawa. I am really excited to work with (head coach) Jenn Russell. We’re really excited for where this program can grow. We’re excited to put our heads together, our passion and creativity,” Tuttosi said in the Gee-Gees’ announcement.

Russell was hired in February to replace head coach Jack Hanratty, who left the program after one year to join the American women’s rugby team.

The Ravens have welcomed Jaime Magoffin as their team’s full-time assistant women’s hockey coach alongside head coach Stacey Colarossi.

A former captain with the University of Guelph Gryphons, Magoffin played in 87 U Sports games from 2020-25 and represented the silver-medal-winning Canadian team at the FISU World University Games with Colarossi on the coaching staff. She also played professional hockey in Poland in 2025-26.

“I had the opportunity to play for Stacey at FISU and she is one of the people who made that experience so rewarding,” Magoffin said in an announcement. “I am grateful to now work alongside Stacey and I know she will help me learn and grow immensely as a coach.”

Former Ravens men’s hockey captain Cody Caron has re-signed with the team, but as its full-time assistant coach under head coach Patrick Delisle-Houde. Caron previously was an assistant coach since 2023.

“I’m incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity to join the new coaching staff full-time,” said Caron, who skated for the Ravens from 2017-21. “Having been part of the program over the past two years, I know first-hand the potential this group has and I’m excited to build on that.”

Caron, who was the Ravens’ captain for the 2020-21 season and led the team in goals (14) and points (25) in 2019-20, played minor professional hockey with Cincinnati and Utah between his two Carleton assignments.

CARLETON BASKETBALL TEAMS HEADING FOR INTERNATIONAL GAMES

The Carleton University women’s basketball team is familiar with road trips, but the Ravens are travelling halfway around the world to prepare for their 2026-27 OUA season.

The Ravens will participate in the nine-day Park Shin-ja Cup women’s basketball tournament Oct. 3-11 in Busan, South Korea. The Cup is Korea’s premier women’s international basketball tournament.

The tournament will feature teams from the Women’s Korean Basketball League as well as overseas professional and collegiate clubs from Asia and North America.

Meanwhile, the Carleton men’s basketball team opened its 2026-27 season with a 70-62 loss to the Bucknell University Bison in the Can-Am Shootout at home on Monday.

Augustas Brazdeikis led the Ravens with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Aleksander Pachucki was the top Bison scorer with 22 points. Mark Dike also pulled down 10 rebounds for Carleton, while first-year player Daniel Duala-Ekoko contributed six points and five rebounds.

Head coach Taffe Charles used the game to give all his players floor time, especially the first-year and red-shirted players from last season.

The Ravens men’s team also will be heading out on the road, when it travels to Nassau in the Bahamas for the program’s second trip to the Baha Mar. Carleton will face the University of Arkansas Razorbacks on Aug. 1 for its opening game in the Baha Mar Summer League.

CANADIAN UNIVERSITY MEN’S FIELD LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP IN OTTAWA

The University of Ottawa will play host to the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association national championship for the Baggataway Cup.

The eight-team championship will be held Nov. 12-14.

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