Athletic Lives of Distinction - A - L
A - F
Cassels, Hamilton "Laddie" '13 - Football/Rowing
It is impossible to overstate the impact that our next inductee had on Ridley College. Member of the First Cricket team, captain of the football and hockey teams, Mason Gold Medal winner in 1913, elected member of the Board of Governors beginning in 1936 and president from 1963-1967, Hamilton “Laddie” Cassels was a proud and loyal Ridleian for his entire life. Mentored by Harry Griffith, he lived his life in a tradition of sports and sportsmanship. He played varsity football for the University of Toronto Blues, then went on to play for the Toronto Argonauts. He had the unique experience of coaching the Blues in the 1920 Grey Cup final when they defeated the Argos, the team for which he had played only the previous week! He should also be remembered for his actions in the spring of 1966, which helped guide the school’s athletic program in a new direction. Up until that time, rowing was not a Ridley sport, despite the school’s close proximity to the Henley course. As Richard Bradley and Paul Lewis recount in their book, Ridley A Canadian School, “History does not record exactly how or why the president of the board, Laddie Cassels, arranged for the purchase of a boat from the Toronto Argonaut Rowing Club. It was an ancient and heavy boat that came without oars; some thought Ulysses might have recognized it.” And so began the Ridley rowing odyssey. Ridley is proud to recognize the contributions of Laddie Cassels from the Class of 1913, extraordinary student athlete, loyal steward of the school, and pioneering architect of the Ridley rowing program.
“Looking up at his portrait in the Great Hall, one senses both the gentleman and the sportsman.” Excerpt from Ridley A Canadian School by Richard A. Bradley and Paul E. Lewis.
P.O. Box 3013, 2 Ridley Road St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 7C3 Canada 905 684 1889
With more than 700 students from 60 countries, the largest boarding programme in Ontario and the third largest in Canada, Ridley College is a truly international, co-educational, day and boarding school of the world that prepares students for the world. It has provided enriching learning and life-shaping experiences focused on the arts, academics, and athletics since 1889. Ridley’s Lower School offers JK-Grade 8, its Upper School consists of Grade 9-PG, and Ridley graduates attend some of the top universities and colleges around the world. Ridley is the only co-ed independent boarding school in Canada and one of only three in North America authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum programme.
