For many former Carleton students, the words “Panda game” would inspire excitement, but not for those who attended the school after the late 90s.
The annual panda football games between the Carleton Ravens and the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees ended when after 53 years of competition, the Ravens football team officially hung up their gear in 1998 due to financial issues.
Chloe Sinclair, a telecounselor for Carleton’s Undergraduate Recruitment Office, said she has been asked on many occasions about whether Carleton has a football team.
“People tend to scoff at the answer . . . apparently football is still a quintessential part of university,” Sinclair said.
There’s no doubt that school spirit at Carleton was different in the years prior to 1998.
“Back when I played . . . the stands were always full,” former Ravens slotback Pat Stoqua said in a video testimony on Carleton’s website.
Stoqua said he looks forward to the days when Carleton can fill the stands again, and “revive that rich tradition and history of Carleton football.”
Lucky for Stoqua, those days have already begun.
A group of passionate alumni, community members, and former Ravens have brought football back to Carleton. This effort is spearheaded by Kevin McKerrow, BA graduate from 1987, former offensive guard for the Ravens, and president of the Old Crow Society (OCS).
Along with the OCS, generous community members like former linebacker John Ruddy have made donations to realize a Ravens revival.
Ruddy has pledged $2.5 million, and others have contributed to the $5 million required to cover start-up and operational costs of the revival. The new team is expected to take the field at Keith Harris Stadium in the fall of 2013.
As McKerrow said in his own video testimony about the Ravens renewal, he is “looking forward to our first Panda game, and the opportunity to kick the Gee-Gees butts.”
“But really the most vivid image I have in mind is that first home game. To see the team hit the field for the first time. That’ll be a really special moment for me personally.”
