Chris J. B. Clark, Com’76
  • Gratituesday

Life Lessons on the Field

Chris J. B. Clark, Com’76
Queen’s Soccer (1972-1976)
Queen’s Hockey (1972-1976)


My time as a student-athlete at Queen’s, both on the soccer team and the hockey team, gave me the opportunity to develop in many different ways that otherwise would not have been possible.

Intercollegiate athletics teaches you many things that you don’t learn in the classroom. Leadership, teamwork, discipline, focus — all things that help you carve a path to a successful, satisfying career once you leave Queen’s.

Those skills that I learned on the field and on the ice helped me in what eventually turned out to be a very successful career. That success has allowed me to give back with time, expertise, and financial support. It also contributed to my lifetime love of sport and the important role that sport plays in our society today. I continue to be very active in sport as an ironman competitor and as a director of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Queen’s will always have a special place in my heart and I will always have many fond memories of the time I spent there. The people that I met both on and off the fields of play are still some of my best friends today. I have stayed connected to Queen’s through my role on the Smith School of Business Advisory Board and connections from time to time with the coach of the soccer team. I am able to offer my time and experience to help ensure that Queen’s students have the best opportunities for the future and to provide philanthropic support to both the business school and Richardson Stadium.

I believe in giving back, both in terms of time and money, to those places and institutions that made a difference in my life and that definitely includes Queen’s.

By giving my philanthropic support to the Richardson Stadium, I’m helping current soccer team members feel like they are part of mainstream sport which has not always been the case for soccer within university sports. The new Pavilion will help provide them with what they need to be successful both individually and as a team. Not many other universities have this kind of facility for their soccer teams.

Being part of the soccer team for four years and wearing the school colours was important to me and a huge part of my life at Queen’s. I want others to have the same experience.

Learn more about the revitalized Richardson Stadium and the Pavilion project.