![[Ground breaking ceremony for Richardson Stadium]](/alumni/sites/default/files/styles/hero/public/img/story/ground_breaking_richardson_stadium_-102.jpg?itok=ocx10qgD)
As a student, Stu Lang (Sc’74) was a hero on the field of Richardson Stadium for the Golden Gaels. Now, years later, Stu is taking a leadership role again, this time off the field alongside his wife Kim (Artsci’76), to lead Queen’s athletics into a new chapter marked by the ground breaking ceremony on December 5, for the revitalization of Richardson Stadium.
Stu and Kim got the ball rolling on the stadium revitalization in 2014 with a $10 million donation, in addition to a $5 million donation from the Richardson Foundation and a number of generous donors to bring the total donations over $17 million. The university will invest an additional $3 million for infrastructure support of the stadium.
“My wife and I met and spent four wonderful years at Queen’s. I personally experienced life-changing opportunities both on and off the field,” remarked Stu at the ground breaking ceremony. “The revitalization is about far more than just a new stadium. It is a key step in building a stronger varsity sports program for Queen’s and providing a better connection to the university. I’m proud to support this transformative initiative.”
As a star wideout on the 1970 Yates Cup-winning Gaels team, Stu was a force for the Queen’s offense for four consecutive seasons. A multifaceted athlete, Stu also represented Queen’s for four years on the Gaels hockey team.
After graduating with a chemical engineering degree, he became part of the Edmonton Eskimos dynasty of the 1970s and ‘80s, winning five Grey Cup championships in eight years. He spent the next quarter century working in his family’s packaged-goods labeling business, retiring in 2006. Three years later he was back on the gridiron, this time as coach of the Gryphons at Guelph University, a position he held until the end of this season.
Even while he was pacing the Gryphons’ sidelines, though, he remained a Gael at heart. And at a 2013 playoff game between the two teams, the Langs decided to follow in the footsteps of another legendary Gael and his family.
Like Stu, George Richardson starred on both the Gaels hockey and football teams. His brother, former Queen’s Chancellor James Richardson, led the drive to name the university’s first stadium in his memory.
Thanks to the Langs’ generosity, the newly restored George Richardson Stadium will include an artificial turf field, a state-of-the-art scoreboard, upgraded web and broadcast capability, new lighting, and new, improved washrooms. Fundraising continues for Phase Two of the project, which will add a high-performance sports training centre to the complex.
“The new stadium will help us train every day in the best environment, allowing us to take our competition to the next level,” says Gaels’ wide receiver and 2015 Russ Jackson Award winner Curtis Carmichael (PHE’16). “I know our entire team is looking forward to taking the field next year in our new home.”
"The new stadium will benefit our varsity athletes and all students involved in our recreational programs,” says Ann Tierney, Vice-Provost and Dean of Student Affairs. "It will also serve as a new sports venue for community groups and teams from across the city and the greater Kingston region.”
The revitalization is part of the very successful Queen’s Initiative Campaign, which included construction of the Athletics & Recreation Centre and three multi-sport turf fields.
The Langs helped break ground on the new stadium on Saturday, December 5. Joining them were Kingston Mayor Bryan Patterson (MA’01, PhD’07), Paul (Artsci’69, MBA ’73) and Vicki Hand (PHE’73), co-chairs of the Fields and Stadium Campaign Cabinet, among other fellow alumni, students and faculty.
The new Richardson Stadium will open in time for the 2016 football season. To view photos from the ground breaking event visit the Queen’s Alumni Facebook Page.
