Downtown Windsor will be lit up green and gold this weekend to commemorate an historic national championship victory by the St. Clair Saints Men's Football team.
Back in September, the city installed string and globe lights along the sides of Ouellette Avenue, which can transition in colour.
Ward 3 City Coun. Renaldo Agostino announced The City of Windsor will be illuminating the downtown streets with Saints colours along Ouellette Avenue between Chatham Street and Riverside Drive from Thursday, Nov. 14 to 17.
"We're celebrating the Saints," said Coun. Agostino, who donned a St. Clair Saints Football jersey to make the announcement. "To go undefeated the entire season, and then make it to the championship and be down after the first half and come back, it's the story of our city. It's a story of how we have this underdog mentality, but we always come out and win."
"What the Saints did is just something that needs to be celebrated. It's an epic win for the Saints, for St. Clair, and for the City of Windsor, and I want to do my part to show some support," Agostino said.
St. Clair College President Michael Silvaggi said it's a welcome show of support from the community.
"The entire College is overjoyed with the Saints Football team's very quick rise to prominence – capped off by winning the Canadian Bowl over the weekend," said St. Clair College President Michael Silvaggi. "They showed the rest of Canada what grit and determination looks like and in doing so, have become the first College program in CJFL history to win the prestigious title."
"Saints Nation does not shy away from showing how proud we are of the team, but seeing the City of Windsor and other community partners light up the core with our beloved school colours is a true testament to the magnitude of this big victory," President Silvaggi said.
Caesars Windsor, a valued partner, is also getting into the spirit, lighting up the Casino with vibrant green and gold as a show of pride and support for Saints Nation.
"The congratulatory messages and support since the win have been overwhelming. Seeing downtown and Caesars Windsor lit up green and gold will be something special for everyone in the city as well as all of Saints Nation across the globe," said Mike LaChance, the head coach of St. Clair Saints Football. "It is truly an honour to coach this team and to be a small part of something so special."
Not to be left out, all the College's campuses, including St. Clair College Centre for the Arts in downtown Windsor, will also be donning the school's colours to paint the Windsor skyline green and gold.
The contributions of the AKO Fratmen franchise, which first played in 1945, are a significant part of the history of this storied team. Launched by the Alpha Kai Omega Fraternity, the Fratmen franchise is one of the oldest in Canadian Junior Football League history and was the first team to be honoured in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
In 2020, a new chapter in the organization's history began, when it was purchased by St. Clair College's Saints Student Athletic Association - and four years later, the team raised the Canadian Bowl Trophy in front of a home crowd at Acumen Stadium.
"On behalf of the St. Clair College Board of Governors, we extend a hearty congratulations to the Saints Football team on its historic win at the National Championship last weekend," said Garry Rossi, the Chair of St. Clair College's Board of Governors. "This is the first time a College program has won the Canadian Bowl in its 115-year history, which is exactly what we hoped for when the AKO Fratmen program joined the St. Clair family in 2020."
"Seeing the community embrace this team's success is the cherry on top and goes to show that everyone belongs in Saints Nation," Rossi said.
