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Doug Mitchell

- 2007 Sportsperson of the Year

Doug Mitchell is a native Calgarian who played minor hockey in the Buffalo Athletic Association and the Calgary Community Association. He graduated from Crescent Heights High School, where he played football. Doug attended Colorado College on a hockey scholarship, graduated with a B.A. in Business Administration, and played football. He then went to Law School at the University of British Columbia, where he received a Bachelor of Laws Degree. Doug also played football both for UBC and in the CFL for the B.C. Lions, while he was still attending Law School.

Doug practiced with the law firm, Howard Mackie, taking a leave of absence in 1984 to move to Toronto to accept a five-year appointment as the Commissioner of the Canadian Football League. He returned to Howard Mackie (now Borden, Ladner, Gervais) in 1989. Doug is now the National Co-Chair of Borden, Ladner, Gervais LLP, a national law firm.

Doug Mitchell has always believed in community service. Doug joined the Calgary Booster Club in 1966 and he soon began taking an active leadership role in the club. During his tenure as a Director in the club, Doug was an active participant in almost every activity sponsored by the club, and he played a major role in the establishment and management of the club’s hockey school. Doug served as the President of the club in 1968-69, and is presently an Honorary Life Director of the club. He was the Master of Ceremonies at the 1981 Sportsperson of the Year Dinner, and he was honoured by the club as a Sport Builder in 1997.

Doug has volunteered for many years with the Canadian University Football League, and in 2002, the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sports) re-named the Atlantic Bowl football trophy, the “Mitchell Bowl” in his honour. Through the law firm of Howard, he established what are now known as the BLG Awards (presented annually to honour the top male and female athletes from universities across Canada) at a show that is televised nationally from Calgary. This year’s event will be the 15th annual show.

Throughout the years, Doug Mitchell has served the citizens of City of Calgary, Alberta, and indeed all Canadians, by taking on major leadership roles. Here are some of the positions he has held:

  • Doug is currently the Chairman of the Calgary Sport Tourism Authority.
  • He coached minor hockey teams at the Tiny Mite and Pee Wee levels.
  • He was an Assistant Coach with the University of Calgary Dinos Football Team.
  • He acted as the volunteer legal counsel for Alberta Games and the Alberta Sports Council.
  • He served as the Chairman of the Canadian Olympic Hockey Team Advisory Board, which saw a rebirth in the sport of hockey in Calgary.
  • Doug was the Chairman of the Professional Sports Policy Committee to undertake a review of government involvement in professional sport.
  • He is a past Director of the Calgary Olympic Development Association and the Canadian Olympic Trust.
  • He served as a member of the Board of Directors for the World Track and Field Championships held in Edmonton in 2001.
  • He is a co-owner of the Calgary Stampeder Football Club, and a member of the Owners Executive Committee.
  • He is the Chairman of Legacy Sports, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation.
  • Doug has received many awards over the years including the following:
  • He is an Honorary Life Member of the Kiwanis Club.
  • He was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
  • Doug was the recipient of the 2004 Distinguished Service Award in the category of Service to the Community awarded by the Law Society of Alberta and the Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch.
  • He was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2004.
  • In 2005, three Centennial Medals were presented to Doug for sport and economic development in Alberta.
 

Doug and his wife Lois are proud of their four children: Shelley, a lawyer who lives in Vancouver; Steven, who is involved in the food brokerage business in Toronto; Sue Ann, who works in the hotel business in Vancouver; and Scott, a Sports Agent in Toronto. They enjoy spending time with their family, and yet, they find countless hours to devote to community service and sport interests in Calgary.

The 2003 Sportsperson of the Year, Frank King, said this about Doug and his wife Lois: “Above all else, Doug has been an outstanding citizen of Calgary. Together with his wife Lois, he continues to make a meaningful contribution to the strong volunteer fabric that characterizes Calgary as a leader in so many ways. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the sports community of Calgary, the Calgary Booster Club is proud to honour Doug Mitchell as its 54th Sportsperson of the Year.”