Jean Marc Titley
Laggan’s Jean Marc Titley is a versatile and successful multi-sport athlete. The son of the lates Alex and Lucille (Proulx) credits playing on the playground at Laggan Public School for developing his kicking and goalie talents early in his youth. Marc began playing GSL minor soccer for Laggan under coaches RD MacLeod and Morlin Campbell. As a result of his height and strong kicking ability, he quickly became the selected player to play nets. During his 7 years of playing minor soccer, Marc won the top goaltender trophy and helped Laggan win many first place and league championships. He played half a season for the Pine Grove Senior men however by then his kicking talents were in demand on the football field.
Hockey quickly became a passion for Marc and once again his athleticism and skills saw him train to play the goaltender position. He played in all age divisions of the Alexandria Glens minor hockey organization, 6 of those years playing on the Glens All-Star travelling teams. Marc distinctly remembers winning the “B” division in a prestigious Pee Wee tournament in Rigaud in 1974, an Alexandria Midget Tournament and being voted MVP. A natural progression saw Marc play 4 years of junior hockey as goalie, 2 of these with the Maxville Highlanders and 2 years with the Alexandria Jr B Glens. Consistently recruited to play on numerous men’s hockey teams within Glengarry, Marc played for teams winning the Border League Championship in 1987, the Glengarry News’ Cup in 1989, the Maxville Cup in 1994 and played in Casselman, Vankleek Hill, Maxville and Alexandria Industrial Leagues. By the time Marc decided to hang up his skates, he had been playing hockey for a remarkable 42 years.
When Marc entered high school, he began playing football for the Glengarry Gaels under legendary coaches Stanley Fraser, Jean Yves Jeurond and Peter MacLeod. He played tight end and was a natural for the punter and place kicking positions. Marc’s kicking skills were impressive and he was encouraged to try out as a walk-on for the Ottawa Sooners of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL). He would go on to play with them for 2 years and shared kicking duties with fellow Glengarrian Alan Willard. The Sooners were a top contender for the Canadian title and with them Marc played in 2 national championships winning the Armadale Cup (known as the little Grey Cup) in 1984. In 1985, Marc received a Schenley Award for leading the league in punting with a 45.1 yd average. That same year, Marc was named to the Ottawa Sooners 25th Anniversary All-Star team as punter alongside Glengarry Sports Hall of Famer, JT Hay who was named as place kicker. To further highlight Marc’s success, he was signed by the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes to their practice roster for a 4 week period, practising out of the Olympic Stadium. Marc played 3 years with the semi pro Ottawa Bootleggers of the Empire Football League (NY State ) and saw action in one championship game against the Racine Raiders from Wisconsin.
Marc is now an avid curler and golfer. He curls at least 3 times a week in Ottawa and Alexandria. Summer months see Marc on the greens at the Glengarry Golf and Country Club. He won the Club “B” Division Championship in 2006, 2007 and 2018 and represented the club in various OVGA Intersectional competitions. Marc volunteered as Club Captain for 10 years.
