Bob “Scoop” Gage

The Western Mustangs Athletic Alumni (WMAA) is Purple and Proud and invites you to share your Mustangs pride. Welcome to the first edition of the WMAA “Mustangs Scoop”. We are in unprecedented times with the pandemic causing many of us to feel somewhat disconnected. In this our inaugural publication of the Mustangs Scoop, we hope to reconnect with our fellow Mustangs alumni and connect you to the activities of the WMAA.

The Mustangs “Scoop” is named in honour of Bob “Scoop” Gage. As a sport reporter for the London Free Press, Bob Gage championed amateur sports and specifically the Western Mustangs student athletes, coaches and teams at Western. Greg Marshall, head coach of the Mustangs Football program, stated:

"From the first time I met Bob Gage as a freshman at Western, it was evident that he genuinely cared about the student-athletes and the sports he covered. He has such great integrity and always found a way to find something positive in the stories he wrote. He was a good listener and genuinely interested in you as a person"

Through his work as a journalist, Bob documented the history of Canadian Sport and specifically that of Mustangs Athletics. His passion for Western and his generosity in establishing an endowment to preserve this rich history, is a legacy that will live on forever. In 2010 Western announced the generous bequest valued at one million dollars donated by Bob Gage to generate annual support for the JP Metras Sports Museum and the Bob Gage leadership Awards.

Bob Gage was internationally recognized for his work championing amateur sports and serving as an advocate of student athletes and their accomplishments. Gage said in an interview in 2008:

"I can sit back and see other people being honoured and recognized. It is very rewarding for me to be able to give back. Western, that’s where my heart is."

Bob’s legacy gift will ensure the stories of Mustangs teams and student athletes will continue to be told and preserved through the work of the WMAA and the JP Metras Museum www.metrasmuseum.ca. The WMAA employs a part time archivist and communication coordinator to carry on the work of connecting Western athletic alumni and the greater community to our Mustangs.

The articles in this edition of the Mustangs Scoop will outline in more detail the work of the WMAA and how athletic alumni can stay connected, learn more about our rich history, how you can get more involved in WMAA activities and share your favourite Mustangs stories. www.westernmustangs.ca