Burlington has a long and notable sports history that includes many outstanding athletes, coaches, officials, media, and volunteers. The Burlington Sports Hall of Fame (BSHOF) is dedicated to identifying and honouring these individuals who have contributed to this rich tradition. The BSHOF will be installing five honourees at their 2022 induction ceremony on Tuesday May 31 at the Burlington Golf and Country Club. Our third inductee, Marcel Desjardins, rose through the ranks of sports administration to managing four Grey Cup championship wins.
Born and raised in Burlington, Marcel Desjardins attended French language schools École élémentaire catholique Saint-Philippe in Burlington and École secondaire Georges-P.-Vanier in Hamilton. He ultimately became a CFL Grey Cup champion but his path to professional football was anything but direct.
After high school, the fully bilingual Desjardins earned an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree with a specialization in sports administration (SPAD) at Laurentian University in Sudbury. He gained sports industry experience with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League and the Canada Games Council before being hired by the CFL head office. He worked in the football operations and communications departments for five years.
His business acumen caught the attention of the Montreal Alouettes and was hired in 1999 as the assistant director of football operations. He moved his way up to assistant general manager (GM) and was a member of the Grey Cup-winning team in 2002. He moved to Hamilton to become the GM of the Tiger-Cats for one year before returning to Montreal and winning two more Grey Cups in 2009 and 2010.
He stayed in Montreal until 2012, when he got his second chance to assemble a CFL team after being hired as the GM by the expansion Ottawa Redblacks. What an exciting process of starting a team from scratch, but Desjardins didn’t take long to make the team competitive. In their inaugural season, the team went 2–16 and then an incredible improvement to 12–6 in their second year, topped off by an appearance in the Grey Cup. In just their third year of existence, the Redblacks brought the City of Ottawa their first Grey Cup victory in almost 40 years in 2016. It was Desjardins’ fourth Grey Cup and his first as GM and primary architect of a team. The success of the team can be attributed to Desjardins’ understanding of the importance of the depth of Canadian content and the all-important non-import ratio, his connections throughout USports football, and his career in the CFL.
Desjardins’ responsibilities included providing the best resources for the players, coaches, and staff, but he also oversaw all scouting, recruiting, and drafting functions while integrating the Redblacks with all departments of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group. He and his wife Michelle now live in Ottawa.
A true lifer who worked his way through a career in sports administration to become a four-time CFL Grey Cup champion, the Burlington Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Marcel Desjardins to the class of 2022 in the builder category.
The May 31 BSHOF event is now sold out. If you are interested in getting on the waiting list for tickets, email Wayne Heslop at wayne.heslop@cogeco.ca.
