Alumni Profiles
Josh Sacobie
He taps into his First Nations heritage, finds pride in it and makes ties to the community...For Josh, it is a reminder of where he comes from, and a guide for where he must go.
Second game as the Gee Gee’s QB. He’s shaky, terrified almost as he steps out onto the field. It’s like blood in the water for the opposing team. He calls the snap, the defence breaks. By the time Josh Sacobie’s neck slams against the hard ground he’s figured out he’s not playing in CEGEP anymore.
Second year now, he gets serious about his education. Josh pushes himself to be better than he already is. He’s done it before, growing up on First Nation reserves in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where the choices for youth were either get out or wash out, and more often than not circumstances drove them to the latter. He’ll do it now, graduating with a B. Sc. in sociology. He’ll tell anyone who listens at his many speaking engagements the importance of education. But in the meantime he’ll throw more touchdowns than any other person in the long history of Canadian university football.
Fourth year now, only one more to go. But this is the one people will remember. This is the one where Josh will lead his team to end the ‘07 season 8-0. Undefeated.
At 6’4” and a solid 220, Ontario Universities MVP 2007, a Hec Crighton nominee for best player in the country, he’s a natural fit for CFL. He went free agent for a while, thought about maybe turning the tables and getting picked up by an American league. But for whatever the reasons, it doesn’t happen. So he becomes a technical coordinator for Football Canada, working both on and off the field. He soon finds he loves it almost as much as being a QB.
He taps into his First Nations heritage, finds pride in it and makes ties to the community. He was an active member before, growing up Maliseet in St. Mary’s. But back then it was a given, something to take for granted. Now it’s a gift; something precious, to be celebrated, protected. And that’s just what he does. For Josh, it is a reminder of where he comes from, and a guide for where he must go.
He also adapts his highly developed leadership skills to volunteer work. The leaders of the organization Gen 7 actually call Josh personally and ask him to volunteer for them, not knowing that he’s already sent in his application days before. Seems more destined than any success gleaned from political wrangling in the CFL, more fulfilling too. But does he still have pangs of regret for not playing in the CFL? Sure, but only because he loves the game. That’s why he’s trying out for the Senior Men’s Team Canada.
Josh Sacobie is the name of Ontario Universities Football MVP 2007. It’s also a name that’s on the University of Ottawa alumni mailing list. Is yours?