The Campaign for Bishop's Athletics

Varsity Athletics is an integral part of the Bishop’s experience, as it has been for generations—uniting students, alumni, and friends through a shared passion for the Gaiters. Whether cheering from Coulter Field, the Mitchell Gym, or the Jane and Eric Molson Arena, our community proudly rallies behind our student-athletes and our university.

Today, Bishop’s supports 326 varsity student-athletes across nine men’s and women’s teams, offering countless opportunities to celebrate success. In 2024–25 alone, our football team captured the Loney Bowl Championship, both basketball teams claimed RSEQ titles, and women’s hockey earned the ultimate distinction as U SPORTS National Champions. This year, Men’s Basketball earned the silver medal at the National Championships in a very close game.

Excellence is not limited to competition. In 2024-25, 141 student-athletes achieved Academic All-Canadian status, maintaining an average of 80% or higher. These accomplishments reflect not only talent and determination but also an emphasis on academic achievement.

Behind every victory is a foundation of support—state-of-the-art facilities, coaches, and scholarships that attract gifted student-athletes who excel in sport and academia alike.

Your contribution to the Invest, Empower, Transform Campaign for Bishop’s Athletics will support our dedicated coaches and the student-athletes they inspire.

THE GOAL: A $10 MILLION ENDOWMENT FOR ATHLETICS

When this campaign began in 2023, years of generous support had built an athletics endowment of $2.5 million, generating about $115,000 annually for scholarships. Two life insurance policies totaling $2.5 million were also in place, with proceeds designated to benefit coaching. However, this was not enough to secure the future of athletics at Bishop’s.

To ensure lasting strength for Bishop’s Athletics, we set an ambitious goal: raise an additional $5 million to build a $10 million endowment dedicated to supporting our varsity teams.

Our Immediate Goal

$0M

Securing an additional $5 million in donations will ensure we can attract and retain exceptional student-athletes who excel both in competition and in the classroom, as well as dedicated coaches who will bring out the best in them.

We are proud to share that we are now only $700,000 away from of our goal—a testament to the generosity of our supporters. We invite you to join this community of champions and help us cross the finish line.

While this goal establishes a critical foundation, it reflects only the baseline of what is needed; ongoing investment will be vital to ensure Bishop’s Athletics can truly thrive. But your support now will make an important difference.

CAMPAIGN FUNDING PRIORITIES

Scholarships for Student Athletes

Athletic scholarships are vital for attracting and retaining talented student-athletes. Time and again, former student-athletes have shared that financial support was the deciding factor in making it possible for them to wear the Gaiters jersey.

Unfortunately, funds dedicated to scholarships have historically fallen short. While the Bishop’s Foundation has generously helped bridge the gap, we continue to lose exceptional athletes to universities offering more substantial support. Many have shared that they wanted to don the Bishop’s purple but chose another school because of greater scholarship opportunities.

Scholarships not only ease financial burdens (tuition, rent, groceries, etc.) but also allow student-athletes to focus on academics and training, fostering success in both areas.

The Coaching Excellence Fund

The Varsity Athlete Coaching Excellence Fund was created to recruit and retain exceptional coaches for our varsity programs. Coaches are the foundation of every successful team, guiding student-athletes to achieve their goals on and off the field. Many alumni have confirmed that long after their athletic career was over, the lessons from a dedicated coach have continued to guide them through life.

By investing in coaches, we ensure they have the strategies and skills to inspire and lead athletes to peak performance while fostering mentorship and leadership across all programs. This commitment to coaching elevates the entire athletic department, creating a legacy that strengthens school spirit and community pride.

We Need You!

Bishop’s University Athletics is a strong and impressive program. We have achieved remarkable progress in recent years and are ready to embrace the challenges ahead. But we’ve never done it alone, and we never will.

With your help, we will continue to attract the best and brightest student-athletes and coaching staff. We will provide them with the support they need. And we will continue to up the ante.

We are deeply grateful for everything our donors have helped us accomplish so far, and we look forward to working with you to keep changing the game for the better.

Michael Goldbloom, C.M., Co-Chair
Cathy McLean ’82, Co-Chair
Dr. Michael Munzar ’75, Co-Chair
Tom Allen ’69
Dave McBride ’93
Sébastien Lebel-Grenier, Principal & Vice-Chancellor
Matt McBrine ’96
Jacquie Scott ’90

The University already allocates $160,000 annually to its varsity programs, supplemented by just over $1.5 million in student fees—close to 60% of all fees collected. The Bishop’s University Foundation adds another $400,000 from its unrestricted funds each year for operating costs. Considering the other priorities of the University, these contributions represent the maximum institutional support available, which is why we’ve launched this special fundraising initiative.

Contact Us

Jacquie Scott ‘90
Associate Vice-Principal, Alumni Relations & Philanthropy
jacqueline.scott@ubishops.ca

Matt McBrine ’96
Director of Athletics
matt.mcbrine@ubishops.ca