Stu Lang ’70

Lang is a board director of CCL Industries, where he was a divisional president for many years. During his illustrious Canadian Football League career with the Edmonton Eskimos (1974 to 1981), Lang contributed to five Grey Cup victories. More recently, he was head football coach at the University of Guelph for several years.

In his high school days, Lang played multiple sports with the UCC Blues and earned the Herbert Mason Award for outstanding character and leadership. He then studied chemical engineering at Queen’s University, where he played for the Golden Gaels varsity hockey and football teams, and was elected to their Hall of Fame. But his years at UCC are among his fondest memories.

 

“I spent five wonderful years at UCC and had access to life-changing opportunities both on and off the field,” says Lang. “So, I wanted to give back — to give deserving boys opportunities that are otherwise beyond their wildest dreams, and to encourage others to step up.”

 

And he gave back in a big way! In 2013, Lang made an $11-million gift to UCC — the largest donation in UCC’s history and the largest single donation in Canadian independent school history. His gift boosted UCC’s financial assistance program, which helps boys who wouldn’t otherwise have the means to attend UCC. Through this program, UCC now awards more than $5 million annually to promising students.

 

As an Old Boy, Lang has contributed to UCC life in many other ways. He served on the audit committee and chaired the athletic review committee, which was charged with enhancing the athletics curriculum. In addition, he served for two years as a volunteer coach of the UCC varsity football team — going above and beyond, as usual, travelling three hours a day, six days a week, between UCC and his home near Guelph, Ontario.

 

In honour of Lang and his generosity, in 2014 UCC launched the Lang Scholar Program to cultivate future leaders.