Hall of Fame
Back To Hall of Fame
Back To Hall of Fame
Entering the 2022 Gryphon Hall of Fame, in the 'builder' category, is Stu Lang - a man who has forever changed the University of Guelph for the better with transformational gifts made through his charitable foundation,
The Angel Gabriel Foundation. Over the past decade, Stu and his wife, Kim, have together gifted more than $50 million to the University of Guelph, supporting a wide variety of areas on campus. Some of these historical donations made to the University include a $21 million donation to the U of G business school (now named the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, named after Stu's late father); an $11 million gift to U of G's Ontario Veterinary College; and a $10.5 million gift to the Gryphon football program in the form of a state-of-the-art Pavilion at Alumni Stadium.
Stu's decorated career in the business world saw him take a lead role in the family business, serving as President of CCL, Label International - the largest label making corporation in the world. The family business, which started as Lang Lamps back in 1951, has now grown to a multi-billion dollar company with
CCL Industries listing annual revenues of $5.3 billion (CDN) in 2019. Stu joined the family company in 1982, but prior to that, enjoyed a standout eight-year CFL career where he was a five-time Grey Cup champion with Edmonton. Stu's passion for football led him to the University of Guelph in 2009, when the nearby resident (Puslinch) volunteered as a receivers coach with the Gryphon football program. One year later in 2010, Stu would take over head coaching duties of the Gryphon football team, marking the beginning of a phenomenal six-year stretch for the Gryphon football program (2010-to-2015), which was capped off by
the Gryphons capturing the 2015 Yates Cup.
Coach Lang's impact reaches far beyond the product on the field during his six seasons as head coach. Stu's vision to make Gryphon Football the best program in the country has driven him to bring together a wide variety of stakeholders associated with Gryphon football. He has provided endless support of the Parent of Players group, created strong connections with Alumni through the development of the Friends of Gryphon Football Program and has engaged community through charity fundraising and support of the HeforShe movement. In 2022, Stu's latest game-changing investment was completed, with the Gryphon football program opening the doors on the team's new, state-of-the-art Performance Centre. This project is the latest in a long list of incredible upgrades to the University of Guelph's football stadium.
FACILITIES
- High Performance Centre
- An athletics training facility designed specifically with football players' needs in mind
- Video Scoreboard
- State of the art scoreboard installed at the new field
- Turf Field
- Improvement from grass playing surface geared towards improved player performance
- Pavilion
- Three level building housing a 3300 square foot locker room, players' lounge, offices for coaching staff, rooftop patio, floor to ceiling windows overlooking field in the team meeting room/event lounge, therapy room with hot and cold tubs
- Lang Way
- Gathering place before games, housing Champions' Corner that lists national champions at U of G Gryphons. Mini playing field for children, concourse that's used as a gathering space before games.
- Celebration Corner
- Houses Jerimiah Junior (canon) that celebrates touchdowns on gameday field, and a large bell that is rung on field goals
- Performance Centre Expansion
- New project designed to enhance the previously designed performance centre with the goal of providing Gryphon Football players additional facilities to train for excellence
ALUMNI
- Friends of Gryphon Football
- Developed to engage and attract alumni
- Membership program that generates $30 000 annually to support the football program
- Gala Dinner $30 000 - $40 000 of revenue generated annually to support the football program
- Captains' Lunch
- Annual event that recognizes former Gryphon Captains
- Order of the Gryphon
- Annual dinner honouring those who have donated over $50 000 to Gryphon Football
- Team of the Decade Recognition
- A way to recognize Gryphon Football Players who were voted the best in the decade by their peers
- Members recognized at a bi-annual Team of the Decade dinner
- Glory Bowl
- Annual Alumni football game at homecoming
- Honourary Captain
- Recognizes playing achievements of alumni by providing them an opportunity to participate in the coin toss on game day
- Distinguished Alumni Award
- Honours one alumni yearly for his contributions to Gryphon Football and subsequent contributions to society after graduation
- Honour Jersey
- Recipient is an alumnus who is honoured for his playing ability. The recipient is selected by the Friends of Gryphon Football Board of Directors and is announced at the Gala Dinner
SCHOLARSHIPS
- Triple Victory Project
- matched donations of $1 million for an endowed Gryphon Football scholarship
- 2015 Yates Cup Scholarship creation
- Jean Hewitt Scholarship
- supports students to participate in Me to We
- HeforShe Ally Scholarship
- Given to a U of G student demonstrating commitment to gender equality
- 25% of net revenue from the Pavilion goes to Women's sports
ADVANCEMENT TEAM CONTRIBUTION
- Spring Training at IMG Academy in Florida
- Committed to facilitating a trip for the team to Florida every 4 years to the world class IMG Academy
- Social Media & Marketing
- Believes in the importance of strengthening our fan base through targeted marketing.
- Team Building Events
- Provided players and coaches with the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities over the years including paintball, Wonderland, go karting
FOOTBALL
- Yates Cup Championship 2015 (final season as Head Coach)
- Four consecutive 7-1 seasons (best season record ever for Gryphon Football)
- 39 wins and 19 losses over his career
- 3 Yates Cup appearances in 4 years
- 20 consecutive home game wins (record for Gryphon Football)
- 4-5, 2-6, 7-1, 7-1, 7-1 regular season as Head Coach
