A retired Niagara College employee was recently honoured by the City of Welland for his contributions supporting student athletes at Niagara College and in the community.
Ray Sarkis, who worked at the College for over 40 years in the Athletic department before retiring in June 2023, was named to the Welland Sports Wall of Fame in early May.
“It’s a humbling honour to be recognized alongside so many accomplishments of athletes, coaches and builders in the City of Welland,” said Sarkis, who was recognized in the Builder category.
Michele O’Keefe, NC’s Director of Athletics and Student Engagement, nominated Sarkis on behalf of the College.
“Ray has had an impact on every facet of athletics and recreation programming at Niagara College over the course of his career and we’re thrilled that he’s been recognized for his commitment to sport,” said O’Keefe.
Ray Sarkis at the May 5 induction ceremony
Originally from Leamington, Sarkis came to Welland in 1978 to study and then work at NC. As a volleyball enthusiast, he quickly settled into the community and coached the senior girls’ and boys’ volleyball teams at Welland Centennial Secondary School from 1979 through 1989. Also, during that time, Sarkis coached travel baseball for the City of Welland.
In 1987, Sarkis convinced NC to reinstitute the varsity volleyball program. He took over the men’s program in the 1987-95 season and handed over the reins to Niagara alumni Blair Cudmore in the fall of 1995, when he began his position as Athletic Assistant in the College’s Athletic department.
In 1996, Sarkis became the Coordinator of Athletics and it was in this role that he made his biggest impact on NC’s varsity athletic program.
Men’s and women’s basketball were reinstated, and the volleyball programs became a provincial force. During his time, Sarkis saw the Knights capture 27 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) gold medals, 11 OCAA titles and six Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) championships. He introduced NC’s first Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1998, was responsible for the addition of championship banners to the Athletic Centre, and served on multiple committees, both at the provincial and national level, to champion college athletics.
Sarkis has been recognized for his dedication to student athletes in the past. He received the Niagara College Support Staff Award of Excellence in 2003, was named to the NC Student Administrative Council’s Hall of Fame and was inducted into the OCAA Hall of Fame in 2019.
“Ray understands the importance of varsity sport in the lives of collegiate students and we have him to thank for building up our Knights program,” said O’Keefe. “The student-athletes at NC always knew that Ray would support their overall success and for decades he ensured that they stayed on the path to graduation.”
Sarkis continues to support student athletes in the Welland community. After he retired from NC, he began coaching volleyball again at Welland Centennial Secondary School.
