Coburn, Tom "Pro"

‘Pro’ came to Ridley in 1917 as a groundsman and Cricket Professional and coached Cricket from 1917-1949 winning 15 Championships. His physical efforts and endless dedication to his work were critical to the success of hockey at the school over the same time period. The boys of the school had such affection for him that they made up excuses or looked for work to do at the rink just to be around him. After two years of valiantly attempting to make ice in a climate that did not want to cooperate, on December 8, 1950, ‘Pro’ was chosen to drop the puck on the new artificial ice surface, ushering in the modern era of the game at Ridley. To quote the late Paul Lewis – “Pro died in 1968 having influenced more Ridleians than he could have ever imagined. His life was very happily “consumed in service”.

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.