Bio

Jack Costello
CCAA Hall of Fame
Institution: St. Clair College
Conference: OCAA
Induction Year: 2014

Jack Costello is a South Porcupine, ON native and is part of a famed Canadian hockey family.  He played junior hockey at St. Michael’s College (Toronto) before moving up to the senior ranks and joining the Windsor Bulldogs for six seasons.  Costello played forward when they won the 1963 Allan Cup, and competed in Russia and Europe later that year. He finished his competitive hockey playing career for the Bulldogs the following season after they spent a year in the International Hockey League.

By 1967 Costello helped establish a men’s hockey team at Windsor’s St. Clair College, serving as both head coach and assistant athletic director guiding the Saints to four Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) championships in six seasons.  It was then that he and athletic director Alex Hoffman were approached with the idea of creating a national collegiate sports organization.  After taking part in initial meetings held in June of 1972, he became the CCAA’s first OCAA representative in 1973 as well as its first hockey convenor.  As a founding member and convenor of OCAA men’s hockey, Costello took a leadership role and was key in the administration and development of sport at the national level.

Costello led negotiations and obtained official recognition from the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, establishing common playing regulations, player eligibility and transfers rules, dispute procedures, conference participation, and requirements for qualified officials. Once established, the sport served as a template for other CCAA national championships and provided leverage for additional funding from Sport Canada.

Costello served as the CCAA hockey convenor and OCAA representative for five years, attending many of the early CCAA national championship tournaments.  He also played a role in promoting other sports at the national level, spearheading research that identified potential national championship sports and presenting the results to Sport Canada to obtain financial assistance and support.

Costello’s leadership led to another memorable moment as St. Clair won the 1976 CCAA national men’s hockey title with fellow Bulldog teammate and OCAA Hall of Famer Jerry Serviss coaching the Saints.  He went on to become St. Clair’s athletic director for 10 years before retiring in 1997.  In 2003 he was inducted into the OCAA Hall of Fame as an honoured coach of the St. Clair men's hockey team. 

In 2005-06 St. Clair College established the Exceptional Service Award in honour of Jack Costello which is presented annually to an individual for his/her outstanding dedication and commitment to the Department of Athletics and Recreation. This award recognizes those who have gone above and beyond his/her regular duties each season.

In 2009, he received the Windsor/Essex Sports Persons of the Year Legacy Award and in 2015 Costello received the Sport Achievement Award from the University of Windsor Sports Hall of Fame.