By Neil D. Stephenson, Special to National Post
As a Canadian with an education in political science and a former executive of a major American
news organization, I am dismayed by the ongoing economic tensions between Canada and the
United States. This conflict — which Canada neither instigated nor desired — has been
manufactured by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Despite political rhetoric on both sides of the border assuring us that Canadians love Americans,
and vice versa, it is essential for ordinary citizens to take tangible steps to maintain and
demonstrate this friendship — and to remind ourselves of the many thousands of past instances in
our lives where that friendship has manifested itself without us consciously thinking about it.
In that spirit, and given the recent federal election, I wanted to share two stories: first, of a new
varsity sports award; and second, of a historic, 151-year-old cross-border sports rivalry.
The first story begins with its two inspirations, a woman named Marie Evelyn Moreton (better
known as Lady Byng, wife of Canada’s 12th governor general, Lord Julian Byng) and Winston
Churchill. The former was a hockey fanatic who wanted to encourage gentlemanly conduct and
good sportsmanship, and the latter famously quipped that, “Rugby is a hooligan’s game played by
gentlemen.”
The other lead characters in the story include a rugby team founded in 1872, an American rugby
player from McGill’s 1955 squad and a newly endowed sports award.
Throughout its storied history, the McGill University Rugby Football Club (MURFC, which is
known today as the McGill Redbirds) has emphasized the importance of how its players conduct
themselves on and off the field.
In keeping with the dicta expressed by Churchill and Byng, MURFC has officially announced the
Dr. Joseph Hanaway McGill Rugby Gentleman’s Award. This award annually recognizes a McGill
rugby player who consistently exemplifies gentlemanly conduct on and off the field for a
minimum of two playing seasons.
The idea for a non-endowed award was first proposed to McGill Athletics in late 2020 to formally
recognize the qualities of integrity, sportsmanship and respectfulness that are integral to rugby
culture worldwide. After just five months of fundraising, we surpassed the $80,000 threshold
required for an endowment and the newly endowed award was formally announced to the team at
a ceremony on April 10.
As of today, McGill has received $107,000 in contributions, with additional pledges still coming.
Beginning in December, the award will confer a $3,500 cash prize to the named recipient.
Joseph Hanaway, now 92 and residing in St. Louis, expressed his gratitude: “I am deeply honoured
that this rugby gentleman’s award will encourage gentlemanly conduct by McGill’s young rugby
players both on and off the field for years to come.”
Joseph Hanaway 2025
Hanaway arrived at McGill from New York in 1953 as an undergraduate arts student. Initially
joining the McGill football team as a kicker — earning him the nickname “Joe the Toe” — he later
transitioned to rugby, where his team became the 1955 Dominion national rugby champions of
Canada. He subsequently earned his medical degree in 1960, completed his post-doctoral studies
at Harvard and enjoyed a distinguished medical career in the U.S.
Hanaway’s contributions to McGill extended beyond athletics. Upon retiring in 2008, he
spearheaded the restoration of McGill’s iconic Roddick Gates clocks and bell tower on Montreal’s
stately Sherbrooke Street and authored several books on the history of medicine at McGill.
Given his lifelong commitment to McGill and his embodiment of the new award’s core values, I
felt that Hanaway was the natural choice to be its namesake and ambassador.
The second story involves a historic sporting relationship that has had a massive cultural impact,
particularly in the U.S. During the fundraising campaign for the endowment, many donors were
motivated by a desire to honour last year’s 150th anniversary of the landmark rugby matches of
1874 between Harvard and McGill in Cambridge, Mass. These matches planted the seed for the
creation and growth of modern American football.
In honour of this cross-border camaraderie and sports history, any annual income from the
endowment exceeding $3,500 will go to support the Covo Cup — the annual rugby game between
McGill and Harvard, which symbolizes the enduring bond between these two institutions.
“As an American, I am hopeful that this award will stand as a living testament to the unbreakable
brotherhood between America and Canada,” said Hanaway.
This new McGill rugby award named after an American alumnus, as well as the long-standing
fraternity between McGill and Harvard rugby players, are just two small examples of how
teamwork, co-operation and respect have defined the relationship between the peoples of our two
countries for well over 150 years.
David Johnston — former McGill principal and governor general of Canada, who was elected to
Harvard’s Athletic Hall of Fame as a former hockey player for the Crimson and later was the first
non-U.S. citizen to serve as chair of Harvard’s board of overseers — observed that, “The Hanaway
award is very special and unique. To my mind, this gentleman’s award makes a powerful
statement not just about this rugby team, but is the very quintessence of the Canada-U.S.
friendship.”
— National Post
Neil D. Stephenson is the creator and lead fundraiser of the Dr. Joseph Hanaway McGill Rugby
Gentleman’s Award. He is a former Atlanta-based CNN executive, a former corporate aviation lawyer
and a McGill rugby alum.
The Canadian Rugby Foundation was one of the many donors to the new Hanaway McGill Rugby
Gentleman’s Award
