Thérèse Quigley, 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient

Thérèse Quigley BA’75, BEd’77, MA’84, is an accomplished athlete, coach and sport administrator, fuelled by “the power of sport,” which has driven her career leaving her mark on University Sports in Canada.

Thérèse was a formidable multi-sport athlete at Catholic Central High School before she enrolled at Western in 1971. She was a two-sport athlete on the tennis and volleyball teams with six OWIAA and CIAU titles to her credit - a force to be reckoned with. She was selected to the national volleyball team, received Western’s coveted Purple Blanket and received the F.W.P. Jones Award as the 1974-75 female athlete of the year. It was clear that sport would become destiny for this young Londoner.

After leaving Western, Thérèse went to the University of Alberta to pursue her master’s degree and coached the women’s volleyball team. In 1984, she joined the faculty at McMaster to continue her coaching career. She gained national recognition as a three-time Ontario Coach of the Year in women’s volleyball.

In 1990, Thérèse became the Athletic Director at McMaster University where her impact was felt for almost two decades, culminating in her being recognized by her peers as International Athletic Director of the year in 2004. During this time, she forged deep relationships with key community builders and helped advance the Hamilton sports scene, notably the building of the Ron Joyce Stadium, the state-of-the-art David Braley Athletic Centre and Sport Medicine Clinic and Alumni Field to the benefit of the Marauder athletes. In recognition of Therese’s contributions to McMaster, the McMaster Sport Hall was renamed the Thérèse Quigley Sport Hall, and the McMaster Female Athlete of the Year award was renamed the Thérèse Quigley Female Athlete of the Year award.

In 2009, Quigley returned to Western as Director of Sport and Recreation, continuing her legacy of building with the same winning energy, as Western’s sports footprint was expanded considerably through the capital programs that she initiated. She helped construct and energize the Western Mustangs Athletic Alumni (WMAA) and remains active through her involvement in our JP Metras Museum Committee.

Thérèse is a past chair of Canada Basketball and was inducted into the Kitch McPherson Hall of Fame by the Ontario University Basketball Coaches Association. She also served as President of both the OUA and CIS (Canadian University Sport). In addition, the USports Volleyball Student Athlete Community Service Award was named in her honor as the Thérèse Quigley Award.

Thérèse was inducted into Western’s Mustangs Sports Hall of Fame in 1993, was recognized as Hamilton’s Woman of The Year for Sport in 1994 and received London’s YMCA Women of Excellence award in 2013. Thérèse is also in the McMaster Sports Hall of Fame, Ontario Volleyball Hall of Fame, London Sports Hall of Fame and the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame. A transformational sports administrator and builder, Thérèse has epitomized the “pursuit of excellence” with her deep belief in the importance of athletics and character building, she continues to be an exceptional Western ambassador and is so very deserving of the WMAA Lifetime Achievement Award. Her contributions to the health and development of sport across all sport and across our country cannot be understated.