Former Ticat works with Mac to help Indigenous athletes

A former Hamilton Tiger-Cats player has teamed up with McMaster University to improve opportunities, access and support for Indigenous student athletes and youth.

John Williams is working with the school’s Indigenous student services office to develop and implement several initiatives, including a youth summit, a basketball clinic and a program tailored to Indigenous women in sport.

The partnership kicked off earlier this month.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “I’m excited to get in there and actually do the work.”

Williams, 39, isn’t Indigenous. The retired running back grew up in Waterdown, a 40-minute drive from Six Nations, the nearest reserve.

Still, he understands some of the challenges faced by Indigenous student athletes — things like racism, discrimination and alienation. As a black football player at the University of Rhode Island and, later, Edinboro University in Pennsylvania, he experienced it himself.

“I know what it’s like to be at an institution where it’s a predominately white setting and there are not a lot of people who look like you. There’s a feeling of isolation sometimes,” he said.

“I think athletic programs and coaches and administrations have to understand it’s not just a onesize fits all approach when you’re dealing with some of these underrepresented communities.”

The initiatives will target student athletes, coaches and athletic administrators — but not exclusively. In fact, one of the primary aims of the partnership is to create opportunities for Indigenous youth to visit campus and take part in programs outside of their communities.

The idea is to show them what’s possible.

“It’s a hard enough sell for a lot of minority or marginalized populations to think that university is a goal they can attain, and for Indigenous students or potential Indigenous students there are a lot of barriers,” explained James Knibb-Lamouche. “One of those barriers is just visualizing and seeing themselves at the place that we are at, McMaster, or at any post-secondary institution.”

Knibb-Lamouche is the associate director for Indigenous student services. He is also working with Williams to develop the ini-

tiatives and engage stakeholders, such as McMaster Athletics, Indigenous communities, local school boards and Indigenous youth.

“We’ve done a number of one-off things and we’re hoping to kind of pull them together in a more unified recruitment and diversity initiative in the future,” he said.

Roughly 400 students at McMaster have self-identified as Indigenous, according to Knibb-Lamouche. Only a few of them play varsity sports.

For Williams, this type of work isn’t novel. He established several programs for youth during his playing days and worked as co-ordinator of community partnerships for the Tiger-Cats after hanging up his cleats. He also co-produced and narrated “Gridiron Underground,” a documentary that examines the struggles of the first black players in the CFL.

More recently, he helped organize a panel discussion at McMaster during the North American Indigenous Games that provided Indigenous female athletes with a platform to discuss their experiences in sport. It was a good start, but Williams is eager to do more, to keep the momentum going. Between the success of the NAIG and the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a spotlight has been shone on the issues affecting Indigenous athletes and youth. He’s hopeful his partnership with McMaster can help keep it there.

“I don’t think there’s any time better than the present to continue on with this work,” he said.