First Nations quarterback wins prestigious football award

Ben Maracle would have preferred to have more on-field successes in what in all likelihood what his final season of university football.

But Maracle, a member of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in eastern Ontario, is honoured that he received a major award for his off-field work.

Maracle, a quarterback with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, is this year’s Ontario University Athletics (OUA) winner of the Russ Jackson Award.

The award, named in honour of Canadian Football League hall of famer Russ Jackson, is presented to the Ontario university player who best exemplifies the attributes of football skill, academic achievement and citizenship.

Jackson, who played 12 seasons in the CFL, is considered one of, if not the best Canadian quarterback to play in the league. He helped the Ottawa Rough Riders win the Grey Cup three times (1960, ’68 and ’69) during his career.

Maracle received his accolade at an awards ceremony held on Nov. 7 in the Ontario city of Hamilton.

Maracle said he received an invitation to attend the ceremony but did not know he would be receiving an award until he was there and met Jackson.

“He said ‘I hear you’re winning my award,’” Maracle said.

Maracle’s off-field resume the past couple of years is rather impressive.

He has helped organize football camps for Indigenous youth for a pair of CFL franchises – Ottawa REDBLACKS and Toronto Argonauts - as well as a couple of First Nations.

Besides Tyendinaga, Maracle was also instrumental in having a camp at the Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne in eastern Ontario.

Needless to say, Maracle was pleased to receive the Russ Jackson Award.

“It’s definitely a big honour in terms of recognition for the stuff I’ve been doing over the years,” he said.

Maracle relishes in the fact he is viewed as a role model for young Indigenous athletes.

“It’s big for me to be able to use my platform,” he said.

Maracle added he loves the fact he is able to give back to Indigenous youth and communities.

“I had a simple goal, to be someone I didn’t have when I was younger,” he said.

Maracle recently completed his fourth official season with the Gee-Gees. If life had gone according to plan, he would have already used up his five years of university eligibility with the Ottawa squad.

But he missed the majority of the 2023 campaign as he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Gee-Gees first game of the season. As a result, the season did not end up counting as one of his years of eligibility.

Maracle had ACL surgery on his right knee last fall and he returned to the field in time for the 2024 season.

Though he played this year he admitted he was still recovering from his surgery. And that largely explains why his stats were not overly impressive.

Maracle threw just a pair of touchdowns and had a total of 511 passing yards during the eight regular season matches he dressed for.

Maracle earned his joint Bachelor’s degree in Indigenous studies and psychology in the spring of 2024. But he returned to the university in September and is now in a Master’s program in experimental psychology.

Though he would be eligible to suit up for the Gee-Gees next season as well, Maracle said he will not be returning to the university ranks. He will in all likelihood complete his Master’s degree online.

But he is keen to play football elsewhere, preferably for a pro team somewhere.

“I’ve talked to European teams about playing there,” Maracle said, adding playing in Japan is another option that intrigues him. He’d also welcome a chance to play in a high-level league in the United States.

Maracle said he is confident he still has a bright playing future ahead of him. That’s even though he was not able to properly showcase his abilities this season.

“I was hoping to recover a bit faster than I did,” he said. “But I think I still have a lot of games in me.”

Maracle had attended the REDBLACKS’ training camp in 2023. But he did not crack their roster and returned to school.

If he doesn’t get another invite to a CFL camp next year, he’ll probably seek out his options abroad.