Joseph "Joe" Corbett

Joseph Corbett was born April 19th, 1873, in Alexandria. He was a son of John Corbett and his wife, the former Janet MacDonald. Again, like a lot of boys from school days, and throughout his life, this great athlete and railway train dispatcher was known as Joe Corbett. (He was a nephew of Rt. Rev. Msgr. George Corbett) Joe Corbett began his railway and athletic career at the age of 16. This was the era of lengthy, wide-open lacrosse fields for 12-man teams using the long handled sticks.

Joe Corbett’s fleetness afoot contributed to his greatness on the lacrosse sward and track and field competitions. He garnered many silver and gold medals in Vankleek Hill, Alexandria, Williamstown, and Cornwall meets before he was transferred to Ottawa to become a train dispatcher. In Ottawa, he continued his athletic career and won more awards in Canadian competitions. Joe Corbett failed to be selected to Canada’s Olympic team at the turn of the century by just two points.

His forte was football playing with Ottawa College, now Ottawa U., in the Quebec Union. On Thanksgiving Day, November 28, In Montreal, 1901, Joe celebrated his greatest day in the realm of sport. He was singled out as one of the chief reasons Ottawa College defeated the Toronto Argos, thus winning what is today’s Grey Cup. Joe Corbett died June 26, 1944.