The St. Clair Fratmen are a

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

team based in

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. The team has played in the

Canadian Junior Football League The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Major Junior Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to profess ...

's Ontario Football Conference since the 1940s and won national titles in 1952, 1954, and 1999. The team was known as the Windsor AKO Fratmen until 2020 when the team was purchased by

St. Clair College St. Clair College of Applied Arts and Technology is a college in the Southwestern Ontario counties of Essex and Chatham-Kent. Campus Its main administration and largest campus sites are in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In addition, other campuses ...

's Student Athletic Association.

History

The team was sponsored by the AKO Fraternity and dates back to 1929, making it the longest-running community organization providing a junior football program in Canada without interruption. The AKO Fraternity is a non-profit, fraternal organization dedicated to supporting and sponsoring youth in amateur sports. The Fratmen played at Fratmen Field at Windsor Stadium from 1953 to 2014. The team later played their home games at Ecole E.J. Lajeunesse and at Alumni Field at the

University of Windsor , mottoeng = Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge , established = , academic_affiliations = CARL, COU, Universities Canada , former_names = Assumption College (1857-1956)Assumption University of Windsor (1956-1963) , type = Public universit ...

. On January 22, 2014, AKO Fraternity announced it had sold the Team to Mike Morencie, a former player, Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator. In May of the same year, St Clair College and the Fratmen announced a partnership which will help college-bound students the opportunity to play in the CJFL. The Fratmen had hoped to call St Clair College their home field pending a planned domed stadium being built on the Windsor Campus. Morencie sold the team to the St. Clair College Student Athletic Association in February, 2020 in a deal whereby Morencie, head coach Mike Lachance and other Fratmen staff retain control of football operations while the Student Athletic Association take on the business side and game-day operations.

Notable players

* Tommy Grant was inducted into the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about t ...

in 1995. He played 14 years with the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

and the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...

. *

Zeno Karcz Zeno Karcz (16 May 1935 – 31 August 2022) was a linebacker in the Canadian Football League. Having played his junior football with the Windsor AKO Fratmen, he went on to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (from 1957 to 1966) in the CFL. He was an all s ...

played 9 years with the

and is a 3 time Grey Cup Champion (1957, 1963, 1965). After retiring, Karcz was Head Coach of the Fratmen from 1967-1969. * Bob Dawson spent 7 years with the

and 1952 Grey Cup Champion. * Walter Spencer was selected in the 3rd Round of the 2004 CFL Draft by the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

and is a three-time Grey Cup Champion (2009, 2010

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

and 2012

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

). * Llevi Noel was selected in the 4th Round (31st overall) of the 2016 CFL Draft by the

and is a 2017 Grey Cup Champion.

References

External links

*
Windsor Fratmen Football
(copy archived February 15, 2019)
Canadian Junior Football League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Clair Fratmen Sport in Windsor, Ontario Canadian Junior Football League teams Canadian football teams in Ontario 1929 establishments in Ontario Sports clubs established in 1929