When inspiration strikes it can be a powerful force. For Gee-Gees football alumnus Brock Bundy there were two standout moments that led him to establish a new scholarship.
The young man who would later become an Atlantic Bowl champion as a running back with the Gee-Gees attended his first football game in 1975. The game was the College Bowl and the grade-nine high-schooler saw Neil Lumsden tear up the field. "He was iconic - the epitome of an All-Canadian," says Bundy. "I left that game thinking I wanted to be like him. Five years later I was wearing the Gee-Gees jersey, back at the College Bowl, and trying to emulate him."
Fast forward to the 2016 Touchdown Dinner, and Bundy is introducing his friend Mike Fabiilli
into the Gee-Gees Hall of Fame. At the end of the induction, it is announced that a scholarship has been created in Fabiilli's name and Bundy is struck.
"There has to be a catalyst," he says. "For me, seeing the scholarship done by Mike was such a great thing and it really got me thinking. Sometimes it just takes a few people to get things rolling."
The power of inspiration and the power of people are intertwined for Bundy, who is now a Managing Partner at VRG Capital in Toronto. "The 1980 team taught me that skill and talent are not the most important part of a team. The bonds between individuals supersede the skills and talents of individuals. When I look at other teams in business or in sport I look for that cohesiveness. It gives you the success."
That team bond is what makes Bundy feel ready to encourage others to consider gifts to the football program. "It's such a tangible, meaningful thing in all of our lives. It's not a four-year program, it's a lifelong commitment to an iconic football program. We are football players and naturally competitive with each other so I really believe that this can start snowballing, aggregating."
"Building traditions is a continuous process, even for a program that is 136 years old," emphasizes the man whose company bears the name of Vimy Ridge as another sign of his respect for the past. "There's something very unique about this program and the current players need to see that there is a broad community of alumni who feel that lifetime commitment."
That lifetime commitment began a new chapter for Brock Bundy this year as his scholarship was awarded for the first time. Nathan Lufuluabo, a first-year student from Montreal, was the first recipient of the H. Brock Bundy Entrance Scholarship. Bundy also had the pleasure of bringing his own son to the University of Ottawa to begin his degree in computer science and mathematics.
This week Bundy will rejoin his team mates to cheer on the Gee-Gees at the Panda Game. He will also be encouraging them, lighting that competitive fire, to find their own inspiration to join the growing group of alumni who have donated to establish scholarships.
If you would like more information about creating a scholarship in support of Gee-Gees football, please contact Steven Drover sdrover@uOttawa.ca or 613-608-5710. You can also donate directly to the H. Brock Bundy Entrance Scholarship fund online.
