On Nov. 13, 2022, Humber men’s soccer defeated Seneca College 2-1 in Vancouver, B.C., to capture the school’s most recent Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national championship.
The Hawks were down a goal as the game clock approached the 90th minute; however, late-game heroics and an all-around team effort put Humber on the board and sent the match to extra time. The number-one ranked team in the nation closed out the match in overtime on a tally from fourth-year veteran Federico Leal. As the referee’s whistle blew to conclude the match, the Humber Hawks were crowned national champions for the 62nd time in school history.
"The feeling never gets old," said men's soccer national champion Federico Leal. "It's my last year. There's no better way to finish it. Great group of guys, we are a family, and I'm happy to do this with my brothers."
Men’s soccer at Humber College has a reputation for being the most prominent collegiate soccer program in Canada as the team has won seven national championships over the last ten seasons of play. Overall, men’s soccer has been crowned national champions a CCAA-record nine times since the program’s formation in 1974.
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Nine times atop the nation is jaw-dropping, yet Humber has 53 more national titles to its name. The Hawks won their first title in 1991 when men’s basketball triumphed over Briercrest Bible College; however, Humber’s storied history in athletics began over half a century ago.
The Humber Hawks joined the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) in 1968 with four varsity programs. Although Humber athletics struggled in the early days, the department flourished into the most dominant in both Ontario and the nation. Twenty varsity programs now represent Humber across every sport in the OCAA.
Humber athletics has been crowned champions of the OCAA over 300 times in school history. This unparalleled record doesn’t stop at the provincial level as the Hawks’ 62 CCAA national championships tops every other institution in Canada.
No other school can match the championship aura that Humber’s history has to offer. Below is a visualization of just how superior the Hawks have been at conquering Canada:
National Championships Won by Province
Humber has won the most CCAA national championships in Oshawa, Ont., home of host Durham College, with eight.
National Championships Won by Sport
Note: Mixed Doubles (three championships; men and women) badminton are not included included in graph.
The Humber Hawks’ unmatched CCAA success is backed by the influential individuals who make up the college’s Department of Athletics and Recreation. In 1990, Doug Fox was granted with the title of Humber’s first Director of Athletics and Recreation. For three decades, Fox was seen as the face of Humber athletics as he grew the varsity program from a mere five teams to 20. He was credited for making the department the most prosperous in the nation, while co-coaching Humber golf to four national championships.
When Fox retired as director in 2013, his fellow golf coach Ray Chateau was named as his successor. After Fox stepped down as head golf coach in 2004, Chateau became the winningest coach in Humber Hawks’ history as he led his golf team to be crowned national champions 11 times. He stepped down as golf coach in 2013 to focus on the director role.
So, who is Ray Chateau?
Chateau was raised in the city of Sault Ste Marie, Ont., and grew up with a love for sports. He began his educational journey at the post-secondary level attending the University of Western Ontario where he would complete his undergraduate degree. Chateau would then chase a career in the world of athletics as he earned a post-graduate degree in sport management from Concordia University in Montreal. His academic quest wasn’t done there as Chateau received an MBA from York University to integrate his knowledge of business into his love of sports.
In August 2000, Chateau joined as a faculty member at Humber College and was named program coordinator for the golf management program. A year later, he was named head coach of the golf team alongside director Doug Fox – a decision that would make the Humber varsity golf program the most successful in Canada for over a decade.
Chateau made a direct impact on the golf program immediately as he implemented new tactics for tryouts to ensure the best golfers represented the Humber Hawks. With Chateau at the helm in 2001, men’s golf was crowned national champions for the first time in program history. The team would win again the following year.
“We had a solid team and won that first national by two shots over three days. We won the following year as well and that wasn’t much of a surprise,” Chateau said.
After back-to-back CCAA titles, Chateau and the men’s golf team was given a run for their money by Champlain College at the 2003 tournament in Barrie, Ont. He explained how this Humber Hawks’ group, led by alumnus and national champion Brad Kerfoot, was his favourite to coach as they were stacked with star power; however, Champlain College’s secret weapon was Keven Fortin-Simard who played golf in the United States and was the best golfer in the CCAA. Although Fortin-Simard went on to play professionally in the Korn Ferry Tour (level below the PGA Tour), Champlain College was no match for the Hawks as they went on to win their third national championship in a row.
While the array of CCAA National Championships placed Humber at the top of collegiate golf, they weren’t the squad’s biggest achievement.
“Our biggest accomplishments as a team won’t show in the records at Humber,” Chateau said.
Chateau’s Hawks were invited to compete at the University-College National Championships various times over his tenure as coach. This event ran by Golf Canada featured the best post-secondary varsity golf programs in the nation. Chateau led the Hawks to win three tournaments in 2004, 2007, and 2011.
“I’m really proud of those three championships. 15 different players. Three really different teams. About a dozen of those guys got to represent Canada at the World University Games.”
In addition to his already impressive resumé as golf coach, Chateau put the Humber Hawks’ golf program on the biggest stage for collegiate sports in the world. Humber golfers represented Canada at the World University Games total of six times while Chateau reigned as coach. This opportunity led him to be able to explore and travel the globe, while doing what he loves the most.
“I got to go to Thailand twice, China, Italy, South Africa, and Spain. I had some great players and really talented guys who played hard and played well. Overall, it was a fun run as coach,” Chateau said.
Over a 12-year span, Chateau set a record as his 11 national championships made him the most successful coach in Humber history. Although he is proud of his record, he looks at this accomplishment as steppingstone at making him better in his current role as director. Chateau stated that his experience as a coach allows him to relate to current coaches of Humber varsity teams.
When Chateau became Humber’s director of athletics and recreation in 2013, he promoted his assistant Nick Trichillo to head golf coach. Trichillo went on to win the coach men’s and women’s to the 2022 national championships.
Chateau’s current role consists of looking after all the recreational facilities and exposing the reputation of Humber sports. He showcases Humber athletes and ensures they have the proper resources they need to be successful on the field and in the classroom. In his time as director, Chateau has organized renovations at Humber Lakeshore Campus’ gymnasium, as well as a complete overhaul of the Humber Athletic Centre at North Campus. Chateau also stressed paying homage to the history of championships at Humber and acknowledging the accomplishments of legendary student athletes.
In nine years as director, Chateau has already accomplished so much; however, he looks to those around him, and his predecessor as the reason he is able to contribute immensely to Humber athletics.
“I have a great staff,” Chateau said.
“I wouldn’t be able to accomplish any of this without some really great people around me. It’s not one person, it’s not me.”
Everyone involved in Humber athletics had the deepest respect and gratitude for Doug Fox, and his influence on Chateau is only making him work harder as a director. Chateau stated, “I believe in adopting and maintaining [Fox’s] philosophies and approach. He always had a focus on the varsity teams and being successful in competing and supporting student-athletes. I really just built on the foundation that he created.”
Chateau’s next project as director is building a new athletic facility and field at North Campus. He aims to complete this before he retires from his role at Humber, while continuing to bring more championships to the home of the Humber Hawks.
