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Awards

Basketball grads Knowlton, Lengvari Jr. capture inaugural Mitchell Family Alumni of the Year Awards Presented by Makadiff Sports

20 May 2021, 12:15 PM 20 May 2021, 12:15 PM

U SPORTS Staff

U SPORTS basketball graduates Nancy Knowlton of the Bishop’s Gaiters and George Lengvari Jr., who played for both the Concordia Stingers and McGill Redbirds, have been named the winners of the inaugural Mitchell Family Alumni of the Year Awards Presented by Makadiff Sports.

The winners were announced Thursday afternoon during a virtual awards show broadcast on the U SPORTS digital channels.

The new award honours the long-time champions of the U SPORTS Athlete of the Year Program, The Honourable Lois and Doug Mitchell, and celebrates former varsity athletes who have become leaders in their communities and recognizes the continued contributions by each alumnus to their alma mater.

“We are proud of all the nominees for the inaugural year of this award. They exemplify what we set out to achieve with the idea of igniting a spirit of giving back. Now more than ever, this last year has taught us to realize the importance of creating a legacy and the difference we can make together. We offer our sincere congratulations to all the nominees, and to George and Nancy as the first Alumni of the Year recipients.”

The Honourable Lois and Doug Mitchell

Knowlton and Lengvari Jr. were selected by the Canadian Athletic Foundation – a not-for-profit Board of Trustees from across Canada, formed by Chairman Doug Mitchell in 1993, for the purpose of providing more recognition for Canadian university student-athletes.

Along with the opportunity to donate a leadership training session provided by Blueprint for a group of deserving students at the institution of their choice, the winners will each receive a Jim Thompson Trophy – named in honour of the former President of TSN, and member of the Board of Trustees from its inception until his passing in 2002.

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Formerly the namesake of the Female of the Athlete of the Year Trophy, Thompson was responsible for bringing the awards to television. He was not only a strong supporter of the awards but a firm believer in the value of athletics at Canadian universities and of amateur sports.

“On behalf of the entire membership, I want to congratulate George, Nancy, and the rest of the finalists of our first Alumni of the Year Awards. We are honoured to watch you represent your academic and athletic programs in such a meaningful manner and look forward to your continued community leadership as you inspire the next generation.”

Dick White - U SPORTS Interim CEO

2021 U SPORTS Mitchell Family Alumni of the Year Awards (Jim Thompson Trophies)

U SPORTS Female Alumni of the Year

Nancy-Knowlton.png (2.20 MB)

nancy knowlton
Bishop's Gaiters
Basketball
Knowlton, Que.
Business Administration '75
Chartered Accountant '82

Biography

Nancy Knowlton was a cornerstone of the Gaiters’ women’s basketball team, leading the Quebec Universities Athletic Association (QUAA) in scoring in the 1972-73 and 1973-74, while also ranking as the top scoring leader in the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (CIAU – now U SPORTS). During her stint with the program, she won two consecutive Quebec championships, en route to the Gaiters’ first two appearances at the CIAU national championships in team history. In addition, Knowlton led Team Quebec to a silver medal at the 1975 Canada Winter Games and toured China as a member of the Canadian National Team. Upon pursuing graduate studies at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Knowlton again led the CIAU in scoring with the Huskies and accomplished the rare feat of being named Athlete of the Year at two different universities.

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A leader in advancing education via technology, Knowlton founded SMART Technologies following graduation and served as its CEO – putting interactive whiteboards into millions of classrooms and boardrooms around the world. Together with her husband, David Martin, she also founded the SMARTer Kids Foundation in 2003 to provide grants reducing the price of SMART products to all accredited, not-for-profit educational institutions, museums, libraries and home schools in the United States and Canada. Knowlton and Martin later founded Nureva Inc., which offers a range of practical audio-conferencing systems that solve poor audio performance in meeting and learning spaces.

Looking to give back academically to her alma mater, Knowlton has been instrumental in the creation of two of the highest-impact programs for students at Bishop’s – the Chancellor’s Excellence Scholarships and the Bishop’s Exceptional Student Talent (B.E.S.T.) Project Fund. The Chancellor’s Excellence Scholarship program recognizes and rewards students with outstanding academic records who personify Bishop’s fundamental values of integrity, curiosity, ambition, courage, self-discipline and community engagement. Recipients benefit from being paired with a mentor from the faculty or senior administration, are invited to participate in the university’s annual Leadership Retreat and are invited to scholarly gatherings such as lecture receptions and events organized by the Chair in Undergraduate Teaching Excellence.

The B.E.S.T. Project Fund is the premier experiential learning opportunity at Bishop’s. It assists students in determining their career paths and realizing their ambitions by making it possible for them to undertake transformative experiences that might not otherwise be available or accessible to them, particularly as undergraduates. Since the B.E.S.T. Project Fund was created in 2010, more than 130 students have been awarded funding to pursue a wide range of extraordinary and inspiring projects, in Canada and abroad.

Knowlton’s awards for her contributions include being inducted into the Bishop’s University Wall of Distinction (2008), the Gaiters women’s basketball Team Award being named in her honour, along with receiving an Honorary Doctorate from both institutions, first in 2003 from Saint Mary’s and later in 2009 from Bishop’s.

“Nancy Knowlton epitomizes excellence. Her time as a Gaiter was outstanding; she was an Athlete of the Year and a true leader,” said Gaiters Director of Athletics and Recreation Matt McBrine. “What she did after graduation was even more remarkable. She is a pioneer in the business world and is someone we are extremely proud to call a Bishop’s alumna.”

Nominees

Erica McGuinness, basketball, UBC
Lee Anna Osei, basketball, Laurier
Nancy Knowlton, basketball, Bishop’s (Winner)
Cathy Campbell, track and field, Dalhousie

U SPORT Male Alumni of the Year

George-Lengvari-Jr.png (3.20 MB)

George lengvari jr.
Concordia Stingers / McGill Redbirds
Basketball
Montreal, Que.
Loyala (Concordia) Economics '63
McGill Law '66

Biography

George Lengvari Jr., has left a significant impact on both the Concordia and McGill men’s basketball programs.

A high-scoring forward, he powered the 1962-63 Loyola College men’s basketball team to its first Ottawa-St. Lawrence Athletic Association (OSLAA) conference title and a berth at the inaugural Canadian Intercollegiate Athletics Union (CIAU, now known as U SPORTS) Championship. He was also captain of Loyola varsity golf squad, leading the team to its best showing ever at the 1962 OSLAA Tournament. He then played three years at McGill, serving as team captain in 1964-65.

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Following graduation, Lengvari practiced International Fiscal and Transactional Law in Montreal from 1968-94. He then became Vice Chair of Weider Health and Fitness – a Los Angeles based holding company with operations in publishing, vitamins and nutrition as well as fitness equipment – from 1994 to 2009. He also served as Vice Chair of Schiff Nutrition International, a NYSE-listed company; Chair of Lengvari Capital Limited, a private equity investment company and founded an international licensing group. At one point in his career, he also worked as a sports agent representing Montreal Canadiens icon Jean Béliveau and baseball great Gary Carter.

Today, Lengvari is passionate about giving back to both of his alma maters. In 2019, Concordia and McGill initiated an annual regular season rivalry challenge in the form of the George Lengvari Cup. At Concordia, his contributions have included matching the Stingers’ inaugural Giving Tuesday campaign in 2020, arranging for new equipment for the varsity weight room, launching the school’s alumni chapter in London, England and serving on the university’s Board of Governors from 1993-2000.

“I cannot say enough about George Lengvari and what he means to the Concordia Department of Recreation and Athletics and especially the men’s basketball team,” said Stingers Athletic Director, D’Arcy Ryan. “His generosity has an immense impact on the program and the type of experience we can offer our young athletes. But even more important is the buzz that is in the hallways and the gym when George comes to visit the team. It’s incredible to see how excited everyone is and how inspired they are. George has an incredible story and has enjoyed great success. I see how motivated our Stingers are by the wisdom he shares and the example he sets.”

At McGill, he has donated significantly since 1966 and established three different annual Athletic Financial Awards: the George Lengvari Basketball Awards (2003) for incoming undergraduates in men’s basketball; the Jean Béliveau Awards (2017) for leadership and overall excellence by worthy student-athletes in any sport; and the Alex Kiss-Rusk Awards (2020) for incoming undergraduates in women’s basketball. In addition, at this year’s annual McGill24 fundraiser he committed to match all donations made up to $15,000. He also sits on the Board of Governors for the Martlet Foundation, which has promoted excellence in athletics and academics since 1954.

In the community, Lengvari supports the Sun Youth Organization, a local non-profit organization that helps individual and families in need with food, clothing, medical, financial, material assistance, crime prevention, social development and youth sports programs.

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Lengvari has been recognized with several awards over the years including, the Humberto Santos Alumni Award of Merit (2002) – the Concordia Alumni Association’s highest honour – as well induction into the Concordia Sports Hall of Fame (2011) and the McGill men’s Basketball Wall of Honour (2013).

“George has been a long-time benefactor of university basketball in this city and we greatly appreciate his keen interest,” said Geoff Phillips, Director of Athletics and Recreation at McGill. “His contributions are immeasurable, to our student-athletes and coaches, as well as to the university.”