Celebrating Ottawa’s Sports Legends at Annual Awards

By Martin Cleary

Kerry Mac Lean and Steve Johnson are both linked to high-performance sports in Ottawa, but they operate on different fronts while sharing many similarities.

Their focus is on round ball sports – Mac Lean with youth volleyball and Johnson with women’s university soccer.

Both have a background in teaching – Mac Lean dedicated 29 years to physical education and coaching volleyball at Colonel By Secondary School before retiring in 2013, while Johnson has been involved with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees women’s soccer team for over 30 years, starting as a part-time head coach while also teaching full-time at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School until he took the role of full-time coach for Ottawa in 2017.

On Feb. 4 at the Infinity Convention Centre, Mac Lean and Johnson will share another common experience as they are honored during the 73rd annual Ottawa Sports Awards dinner with lifetime achievement awards.

Johnson will be recognized for his impressive 32-year coaching career with the Gee-Gees women’s soccer team, while Mac Lean will receive acknowledgment for his four decades of volunteer work as an administrator with the Maverick Volleyball Club, which he co-founded.

The dinner will also celebrate John Butcher, who is receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work as a technical official as an on-ice linesman and off-ice administrative volunteer.

Marci Morris, who served as executive director of the Ottawa Sport Council for 12 years, has been named this year’s Mayor’s Cup recipient for her extensive contributions to sports.

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“It’s an absolute honour,” said Mac Lean regarding this latest recognition of his commitment to high school and community volleyball. “I didn’t do it (volleyball) for the awards, but it’s nice to know someone noticed.”

This year, Mac Lean was inducted into the Ontario Volleyball Association Hall of Fame. His efforts to expand volleyball beyond Colonel By through creating the thriving Maverick Volleyball Club earned him the Mayor’s City Builder Award in 2015. He is also a two-time recipient of both the OVA Recognition Award and OFSAA Leadership in School Sport Award at the Ontario high school girls’ AAA volleyball championship back in 1999.

This year marked Mac Lean’s retirement from Maverick after serving there for four decades. His wife Chris played a key role too, particularly in merchandise management, branding, and preparing tournaments.

Read More: Maverick club founders retire, leaving lengthy legacy for Ottawa volleyball

In the mid-1980s, Mac Lean built strong high school boys’ senior teams at Colonel By, including leading them to win gold at OFSAA boys’ AAA championship in 1988. Players like Paul Villeneuve, Dave St. Helene and Kevin Graham were instrumental to that developing volleyball program who sought more competition.

Mac Lean addressed this by extending Colonel By’s program into what would eventually become known as the Maverick Volleyball Club. This initially offered one practice each week along with one local or regional tournament per year. Kerry Mac Lean. File photo

The competitive aspect was modest until interest surged when Mac Lean’s son Karch wanted to play volleyball back in ’98.

“Slowly and steadily it grew and we added a high-performance model that moved us ahead among city programs,” said Mac Lean during a phone interview Wednesday. “And we won a boys’ 18U Canadian championship at Carleton University (in ’09).”

The last two decades saw Maverick grow from around twenty teams to over seventy teams now. The program comprises high-performance squads alongside regional training centers and introductory play options.

This year marked Maverick becoming Ontario’s first club to launch a mixed-gender learn-to-referee program lasting twelve weeks which attracted ten participants aged sixteen to eighteen.

Mac Lean led Maverick as president throughout its four-decade journey while coaching multiple youth teams along with Colonel By Cougars high school squads. At high school level he chaired OFSAA sport advisory committee along with being lead convenor for volleyball within National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association.Steve Johnson. File photo

When women’s soccer became part of University of Ottawa’s athletics program back in ’94 , Steve Johnson was appointed its inaugural part-time head coach. From then onward , he’s paved an incredible path filled with records across this sport.

The Gee-Gees earned twelve medals from seventeen entries into U Sports national women’s soccer championships-taking home gold medals during both ’96 & ’18 campaigns. They’ve reached finals four additional times where they’ve claimed silver alongside securing six bronze medals.

At OUA conference level , Ottawans have made playoffs every season since inception winning championships thirteen times between ’96 & ’24 , qualifying into sixteen championship games overall.

During his coaching tenure , Johnson amassed record-breaking victories establishing himself among highest winning coaches across OUA women’s college soccer ranks achieving personal milestone reaching four hundred wins earlier this season bringing total tally up-to-four hundred-and-four wins coupled alongside seventy-one draws alongside only seventy-four losses overall.

U Sports acknowledged him twice naming him Coach Of The Year once each time around ’05 & ‘96 whilst being titled OUA Coach Of The Year eight separate occasions altogether.

Johnson had three players selected onto Canada’s senior national squad competing internationally contributing towards five FISU Summer Universiades acting staff member too throughout those events.

In twenty nineteen , he led team claiming title representing Canada winning FISU World Cup Championship followed by seizing victory during Americas Cup held two thousand twenty-two respectively.John Butcher. Photo provided

Upon moving here back en nineteen seventy-six John Butcher began officiating hockey matches working upwards through junior leagues universities even touching upon Ontario Hockey League levels later down line.

Alongside being involved on ice; behind scenes volunteering countless hours supporting various roles related hockey world made significant impact overall.Butcher left enormous mark specifically serving Hockey Eastern Ontario fulfilling supervisory responsibilities guiding junior/university officials including minor league ranks too so overseeing their development closely. Currently he holds board position vice-president specializing rules/official matters additionally awarded life patron membership status within HEO organization itself!

Your presence shaped entire landscape involving game setting various standards implementing new guidelines mentoring individuals aspiring officiators through instructing National Referees Certification Program presenting content via workshops designed exclusively supervisors offering valuable insights aiding implementation best practices ensuring seamless operational effectiveness.​ 
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