Introducing the 2023 Men's Individual Inductees

By Arlo Burness

2023 Western Mustangs Sports Hall of Fame Men's individual Inductees (left to right) Jamie Crombie, Chris Marcus, Ryan McKie, David Ploughman

Jamie Crombie, BA’89 (Huron) – Squash

Jamie Crombie was a key player for the Mustangs Squash team during his four years at Western. Graduating with a bachelor of arts in economics and political Science in 1989 and securing many titles over his storied career, Jamie continues to be a force on the court.

During his time at Western, Jamie excelled as an athlete, winning individual OUA championships for three years and named an OUA All-Star during all four years.

Jamie’s squash career continued after he graduated from Western. Earning a spot on the national team, Jamie helped lead Canada to World Team Championships in 1985, 1987, 1989, and 1991. His skills gained him a spot at the Pan American Championships, where he took home gold in singles 1993 and bronze in 1995. At the World Championships in Hong Kong in 1997, he competed in mixed doubles and won a bronze medal.

Jamie continues to have a long and steady career as an athlete. He has reached the quarterfinals at the National Canadian Singles Championship for 23 consecutive years. He has also won 19 Professional Squash Association Championships between 1989 and 2003. He was ranked the number one squash player in Canada in 1994, and the number one squash player in the United States in 2005. For his extraordinary career, Jamie was awarded an honorary lifetime membership from Squash Alberta and was inducted to the Canadian Squash Hall of Fame in early 2023.

Jamie has stayed in the game as a coach, an event manager for O3 Sports, a general manager for Dayton Squash Centre, and the owner of The Squash Exchange where he coaches and trains other athletes. Beyond squash, Jamie is a cyclist and runner and has represented Team USA at four World Duathlon Championships. “Whether on the squash court or other endeavors, Jamie has always given 110%. Gifted with exceptional athletic abilities, he harnessed these talents through an incredible work ethic and drive for success, pushing his teammates along with him. Every training session with Jamie had the intensity of a championship final. As teammates attempted to keep up with him, any lapses in effort from training partners gasping for air were greeted with a dose of friendly but unsympathetic banter,” writes former teammate Michael Khan. Through changing landscapes, Jamie has proven himself to be one of the most driven and dedicated athletes of his time.

Chris Marcus, HBA’81, Bed’86 – Builder/Athlete – Football

As an athlete, student and staff member, Chris Marcus has been a passionate ambassador for Western since he first arrived as a student in 1978.

Chris spent his four years at Western on the Mustangs Football team. As a defensive back player, Chris supported the team as they became Yates Cup Champions in 1979 and 1980, Mitchell Bowl champions, and Vanier finalists in 1979. His strength as a player earned him all First Four Colours and prepared him for an incredible post-university career as both an athlete and coach. Chris graduated with an honours business administration degree at Ivey Business School in 1981.

For Chris, his team and the friendships he made are what he remembers the most. “We all worked hard towards a final goal of winning the Vanier Cup. We were a big happy family that was willing to sacrifice other things in life to achieve a common goal. The defining moment was playing in the 1979 Vanier cup against Acadia at the old Toronto Varsity stadium. Even though we lost it will always be a memory etched in my memory.”

Chris was drafted to the Canadian Football League following graduation and played for the Ottawa Rough Riders before returning to Western to pursue a degree in education.

Chris has coached for the Mustangs off and on since 1985. He served as a defensive backs coach from 1985 to 1986, linebacker coach from 1990 to 1996, and then special teams coordinator from 2002 until 2007. He returned to coach special teams from 2012 to 2015.

With years of coaching and playing football behind him, Chris returned to Western as the Recruiting Coordinator and Academic Advisor in 2016. In his continuing role as Academic Advisor, Chris has been instrumental in helping to mentor hundreds of successful Mustang student athletes. Reflecting on his role Chris says, “my main job is to meet with the freshmen players for thirty minutes once a week and help them succeed both in the classroom and on the field. I find great joy in helping these young men, as I pass on the lessons I learned as a player and student. I cannot think of any better job.”

In 2018, Chris was inducted into Western’s Wall of Champions in recognition of his tremendous sportsmanship and contributions to Western football. As a coach, Marcus achieved thirteen Yates Cup Championships, three Uteck Bowl Championships, six Mitchell Bowl championships, and four Vanier championships. As a passionate coach and motivator, his advice to young athletes is to “always believe in yourself, and that if you want something bad enough, it is up to you to make it happen. Hard work and perseverance are the key to success.”

Ryan McKie, BA’03 (King’s) – Hockey

On and off the ice, Ryan McKie has demonstrated a love for the game and giving back to the London Community. Growing up in Kenora, Ontario, a small town of only 15,000 people, McKie learned to adapt and thrive, “the winters were long and cold, and hockey was just a part of growing up” says Ryan.

Prior to attending King’s University College and joining Western’s ice hockey team in 1999, Ryan was drafted by the New York Rangers in the 1996 NHL entry draft and spent five seasons playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the London Knights and later the Sudbury Wolves. Of being drafted by the Rangers Ryan reflects, “I attended two training camps and got to skate with some of the game’s greats like, Wayne Gretzky, Brian Leetch, Adam Graves, and Mike Richter. It was a great experience and something that I will never forget.”

During his last season in the OHL (1998 to 1999) Ryan was awarded the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy (formerly the OHL Humanitarian Trophy), an honour given to an OHL player for being a positive role model and making a notable humanitarian contribution to their community.

Ryan quickly proved himself a valuable player and star defenseman as a mustang. In his sophomore year he was awarded the Lorne Thompson Award of Dedication and there were many accomplishments and accolades to follow. Ryan was a four-time OUA All-Star, a two-time All-Canadian, and led the Mustangs as captain in 2002 and 2003. He played in three Queen Cup Finals in 2000, 2001 and 2002. In 2002, Ryan and his teammates won the CIS National Championships in triple overtime against Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. The 2002 Western Men’s Hockey team was the first – and to-date – only team to earn a championship title.

For his incredible sportsmanship and athleticism, McKie was awarded a Purple Blanket in 2003 and the Robert McChesney Award for Ability and Sportsmanship in his last two seasons as a Mustang.

Ryan was drafted by the American Hockey League, where he played for the Hamilton Bulldogs from 2002 to 2003.

Soon after graduating from King’s in 2003 with a bachelor of arts in economics, Ryan began working CIBC in London where he is a senior associate wealth advisor in London. He lives with his wife Shannon and his two children Carter and Sarah. Since retiring from the game, Ryan has coached junior and peewee hockey players across London, helping young players love the sport and showing passion for giving back through fundraisers and food drives.

In 2018, McKie was inducted into the Men’s Hockey Hall of Honour. Reflecting on his athletic journey, Ryan encourages young athletes to “enjoy the moment and have fun. Play every game like it is your last because someday, it will be. Very few people will ever be making a living from playing professionally, so do something that you enjoy.”

David Ploughman, BA’83 – Football, Track & Field

During David Ploughman’s time at Western from 1979 to 1983, he was a two-sport athlete and a key member of both the Mustangs Track and Field and Football team.

A successful short-distance runner, David won multiple OUA medals, including two gold in 1980 in the 4x400m and the Distance Medley, and two more consecutive golds in the 4x200m in 1981 and 1982. His success at OUA qualified him compete at CIS where, in 1980, he won gold in the 4x200m and silver in the 4x400m as part of a strong team of sprinters, including Dr. David Malloy, the current President of Kings College at Western.

However, it was football and a meeting with head coach Darwin Semotiuk that led David to Western in the Fall of 1979 after winning the Toronto football championships with the undefeated West Hill Warriors. With the Mustangs, he joined former high school teammates Dave Peason, Norbert Keller, Fred Fiveash, Craig Board and Mark Pearson. He also joined two competitors from Scarborough high school teams – Christopher Hood and Mike Kirkley.

David’s five-year Western football career with the Mustangs as a defensive back, punt and kick-off returner was marked by his team’s incredible achievements as four-time Yates Cup champions, and Vanier finalists in 1979 and 1982. David was named to the OUA All-Star teams in 1981 and 1982.

His success at Western propelled him to the CFL where he joined fellow Mustangs Richard Nemeth and John Pitts as part of the 1984 Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Grey Cup Championship team.

A strong dedication to the pursuit of excellence, sportsmanship, and teamwork defined his coaching years, which included serving as an assistant coach for the University of Toronto’s defensive backs and special teams from 1989 until 1993. As a coach, he saw his 1993 team to a Yates Cup and Vanier Cup. Following the immensely successful year for the True-Blue team, David was inducted alongside the Varsity Blues Championship Football Team into the University of Toronto’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

Outside of athletics, David has had an extensive and successful career in advertising and marketing, starting his own agency in Toronto in 1992 and expanding into the UK and US markets in 2006 and 2010. In addition, he served as a founding member of the Canadian Promotion Association in 2006, and as the president of the Marketing Agency Association Worldwide from 2012 to 2014. Based in Toronto, David continues to serve as BSTREET Group Inc.’s founder / CEO, in addition to his consulting practice and time with many charitable groups.

Outside of work, he is a strong alumni supporter, and enjoys travelling with his wife Amanda of 33 years and their three children, Nicholas, Cate, and Christopher. Nicholas recently graduated from the Don Wright School of Music at Western, Cate is in their third year at Huron College, and Chris is a freshman at King’s College.