Burlington Braves gear up for national championship: Hire Lumsden

Burlington ON – With new front office staff for the Burlington Braves, the team is gearing up for a run at a national title which will be hosted in Ontario this year, hopefully at the newly turfed Nelson Stadium.

The Braves named a new head coach. Neil Lumsden, the prominent Canadian sports personality who will take the reins for 2011. Lumsden will bring his award-winning player experience form the Ottawa Gee Gees and Edmonton Eskimos, management experience with the Ti Cats, and his championship coaching experience, most recently with the Burlington Varsity Stampeders where he logged a 28-4 record and two titles in three years.

Lumsden joins the legacy of Braves head coaches who include former canadian football greats Dick Brown, Bobby Dawson, Ian Sunter, Al Brenner, Tony Marrone and hall of famer Bernie Custis.
“With Neil’s in-depth football knowledge, extensive experience and excellent coaching skills we are putting the Braves back on the map.” said Larry Irish, president of the Braves.

Irish has also put in place a new general manager, Michael Ramsay, and assistant general manager Scott Boumeester. Together they have created a large team to support the Braves effort to reach the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) championships.

The Burlington Braves have been a force in Canadian football for 54 years with seven national championship appearances. The team’s heritage includes the likes of David Braley, Peter Dalla Riva, John Michaluk, Lee Knight, John Bonk, Tony Gabriel, Dave Dinnall. The Braves rich heritage is part of its sustainability. The team’s alumni are the driving force in the on-going support and development of the Braves organization.

BIO:

In his four years as a University of Ottawa Gee-Gee, Neil started as both running back and kicker. His successful career was highlighted by three OUA All-Star and three All-Canadian designations, a Vanier Cup victory as a member of the undefeated 1975 team, and the Ted Morris trophy as the Vanier Cup Most Valuable Player.
Canadian Football League
Neil has a storied football career in the Canadian Football League, playing from 1976 until 1985 with the Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger Cats and the Edmonton Eskimos. In 1976 he was the eastern conference nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie.

In Edmonton, he was a significant member of the early ‘80s dynasties at the fullback position, blocking for quarterbacks Warren Moon and later Matt Dunigan. He was a member of the Eskimos’ Grey Cup Championship teams in 1980, 1981 and 1982. In the 1981 Grey Cup game Neil was awarded the Dick Suderman Trophy as Outstanding Canadian, with eight receptions for 91 yards and a carry for two yards.

In his CFL career Neil played in 141 regular season games, carrying the ball 767 times for 3755 yards with 36 touchdowns. He also had 180 receptions for 1729 yards and 15 more touchdowns.
Post Playing Career

In 1999 Neil captured another Grey Cup championship, this time as the General Manager of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. As Director of Business Operations, Neil was one of the key individuals responsible for the survival and resurrection of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats throughout the late ‘90s, ensuring the Ti-cats remained an integral part of the Hamilton and Halton communities.
In 2003, Neil was appointed Chief Operating Officer of the successful Road World Cycling Championships in Hamilton, Ontario. This was only the fourth time the road cycling world championships had taken place outside Europe and was considered the most successful championship held in over 15 years at the time.

In 2008, Neil was Honorary Chairman of the Desjardins Vanier Cup in Hamilton, Ontario.
Currently he is President of Drive Marketing, a sports marketing firm and a division of OK&D Marketing Group of Burlington, Ontario.

Born December 19, 1952, in London, Ontario, Neil currently resides in Burlington Ontario with his wife Donna. They have a daughter, Kristin and son, Jesse.