Athletic Lives of Distinction - M - Z
S - Z
Stevens, Bob ’44 - Football
Bob was an outstanding football player during his Ridley days. A devoted Ridleian, he also served as Chairman of the Board of Governors from 1973-77. After graduation, he moved on to Queen’s University where he became captain of the Varsity football team, winning the Johnny Evans trophy for team MVP in 1947. Years later, when he was inducted into the Queen’s Football Hall of Fame, Bob was lauded “as one of the best middle wings in the country,” playing in a position similar to today’s offensive tackle.
After graduating from Queen’s, numerous CFL teams came calling—but Bob’s father wasn’t keen on the idea of his son playing professional football. “He basically read him the riot act,” recalls Bob’s son, John. “Do you want to be a lawyer, or do you want to go and play football?” Today, it’s impossible to gauge the true answer to that question, but Bob followed his father’s counsel and went on to a successful career practising law.
Still, Bob's passion for football found a new outlet in his role as avid and devoted fan. John notes that when his parents married, his mother had symphony tickets and his father had Argonauts tickets—but the symphony subscription didn’t last. During CFL and NFL seasons, “it got to the point where one television wasn’t enough to watch all the games." Bob bought a second TV for the bedroom to keep up with his beloved sport.
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.
