Traditions

Blair Cudmore

Blair Cudmore, formerly of Burlington, Ontario, was an integral part of the Niagara College volleyball program both as a player and coach.

He made his first impression on the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association as a player in 1994 as a member of the Knights men's volleyball team. After playing three years for one of the top elite University programs in Canada ( McMaster University ), Blair attended and graduated from the Niagara College Environmental Management and Assessment program. He left his mark as a player and leader for the Knights as he was one of the most dominating outside hitters in the OCAA. Blair is one of Niagara's five CCAA All-Canadian Award winners, and the first Knight to win the award in a league sport. He was also an OCAA Western Region league All-Star, OCAA Male Athlete of the Week and the Annual mid-season All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. He led the Knights to their first appearance at a division one championship with an 11-3 record.

The following year he was hired as the Niagara Knights head coach and the program has never looked back. In his seven years at the helm, Cudmore directed the Knights to an impressive 93 wins and 31 losses which included league and playoff matches. Two seasons in which the Knights only lost one match in Ontario and won two consecutive OCAA Western titles, two OCAA Gold Medal Championships, and twice finished fourth at the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) National championships. His peers in the OCAA western region recognized him for his success when they selected him the 2001 OCAA Western Region Coach of the Year.

In his final year, Blair led the Knights to their third consecutive OCAA Western Region title, a championship Silver medal and a third trip to the national championships. Like the elite program from which he came, he left the Niagara College Knights as one of the top elite volleyball programs in the CCAA, attracting athletes from national and international ranks.

His most memorable moment as the coach of the Knights was when the team qualified for their first ever Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national championships.