Gee-Gee alum Josh Sacobie to be inducted into New Brunswick Aboriginal Sport Hall of Fame
The exceptional accomplishments of former Gee-Gees quarterback Josh Sacobie continue to be recognized, especially by those in his hometown community, as the Fredericton, N.B., native recently received word that he will be part of this year's New Brunswick Aboriginal Sport Hall of Fame's inaugural class. "I was humbled," said Sacobie, on hearing the news. "It's quite an honour."
Sacobie continues to dedicate his life to sport and football. He is currently employed at Football Canada as the Technical Coordinator and volunteers his time with the Gee-Gees as the quarterback's coach, as well as to Gen 7, an Aboriginal Youth Program.
Read more on the Gee-Gee's website.
Updated: April 2012
If you ask former all-star Gee-Gees quarterback Josh Sacobie about his return for a fifth straight year as the team's pivot, he'll tell you his decision has as much to do with academics as athletics.
Sacobie, who graduated with a combined psychology/criminology degree in 2008, is adding a minor in sociology and planning for law school while mentoring a group of mostly first-year Gee-Gees on the football field.
While he'd love to guide the team to a Vanier Cup, the 2007 Ontario Universities Football Conference most-valuable-player award winner encourages his younger teammates to keep their eyes on the ultimate prize: a university degree that will help them build success long after their playing days are over.
"Sport is what first motivated me to come to university," says Sacobie, who still dreams of playing football professionally. "But I was quickly exposed to study opportunities that have made education my number one priority." He says the combination of sports and academics has made him a more disciplined, goal-oriented person. "I've found that success in one leads to success in the other."
Originally from St. Mary's Maliseet First Nation in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Sacobie encountered plenty of adversity on his way to athletic and academic success. He now uses that success to deliver a message of hope to Aboriginal youth, stressing positive thinking, self-esteem and goal-setting. It's a message he's taken directly to the Mistissini Cree First Nation in Quebec, where he works as a youth and social-services counselor and football coach during the summer.
Sacobie is communicating his message nationally as well, speaking recently to a large group of young people about the importance of goal-setting in sport and education at a National Child Day celebration on Parliament Hill. He also serves as a national student spokesperson for Spread the Net, a campaign to curb malaria by delivering life-saving mosquito nets to children in Africa.
Determined to make a lasting difference for children, Sacobie recently founded Aboriginal Youth in Action, which supports athletic opportunities and educational awareness among Aboriginal youth.
"It's all about reaching out to improve young Aboriginal lives," says Sacobie. "My focus is on the future."
By Greg Higgins
Published: January 2009