Bio

Alex Hoffman
CCAA Hall of Fame
Institution: St. Clair College
Conference: OCAA
Induction Year: 2014

Alex Hoffman was a basketball, football, and track and field athlete at Lowe Tech in Windsor, ON before continuing in basketball and football at the University of Detroit. 

Hoffman became St. Clair’s original Athletic Director in 1967 and was one of the founders of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA), serving as its basketball convenor (1967-69) and president (1969 -71).  He was an administrator at St. Clair College in Windsor for 28 years (1967-95) serving as the first men’s basketball coach from 1967 to 1980 and twice being named the OCAA Coach of the Year. Additional titles he held at St. Clair included director of student services and director of student life, athletics and facilities. During his tenure he expanded St. Clair’s varsity program from six to 14 sports and developed the first athletic scholarship plan in the Ontario college system.

Hoffman became synonymous with the CCAA throughout its formative years. He represented the OCAA in initial discussions in 1972 and went on to serve as the CCAA’s inaugural basketball convenor from 1973 to 1978, founding secretary in 1974 and its second president from 1978 to 1982. Under his leadership the CCAA shaped its constitution, expanded from two to six national championships, conducted a 1978 study examining the participation of women in college sport, and hired its first executive director in 1979. These and other initiatives were made possible by his tireless funding efforts with Sport Canada.

Coach Hoff (as he was known by many) was a big believer in ‘co-curricular’ activities, a phrase he may have coined himself as he didn’t like the term ‘extra-curricular’.  He considered athletics an integral part of a well-rounded education.

Over the years Hoffman received many accolades, including awards from the Windsor and District Basketball Referees’ Association for outstanding service, a Sport Recognition Award from the Ontario Premier's office, OCAA Hall of Fame (2005) and the Windsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame (2008).

In 1991 St. Clair College established the Outstanding Achievement Award recognizing intercollegiate athletes who perform at a high level of athletic excellence combined with sound scholastic achievement; who have excelled in athletic competition at the college, regional, provincial and/or national levels; whose efforts have contributed to the success, competitiveness, enhancement and overall quality of their respective sport.  Starting in 2007, this award recognizes the most outstanding Male and Female Varsity Athletes at St. Clair College from the past season.

The CCAA established the Al Hoffman Memorial Scholarship in 2011 which is presented annually to one full-time CCAA varsity student-athlete attending St Clair College.