Gryphon Gallery: Marius Felix

March 18, 2022

Alumni

Stuart Brambley, Archivist Stuart Brambley, Archivist photo

Marius Felix attended GNS (Glenlyon Preparatory School) from 1971 to 1974. He spent his final two high school years at Brentwood College, where he played ice hockey, track and field and captained the rugby, basketball and rowing teams—he was a ‘tower of strength’. At 6’7 these were never truer words!

It was at Washington University that he became part of an unbeatable college crew as the stroke, powerhousing the team to national honours by beating heavily favoured Yale and Harvard. It was this success that made him a natural choice for the Canadian Eight to compete at the Moscow Olympics in 1980. Unfortunately, that never happened as Canada boycotted the event with many other countries as a protest against what was then the Soviet Union and its invasion of Afghanistan.

Disappointed for sure, but undaunted, Marius turned his attention to teaching for which he had trained at Washington. Being a strong believer in the boarding experience, he taught at Shawnigan Lake School, and was coaching and playing rugby for Cowichan from 1984 to 2001. It was during this part of his journey that again he caught the eye of selectors while playing both for Cowichan and the Vancouver Island select team, Crimson Tide. As a lock forward he represented Canada on four occasions between 1985 and 1996.

His teaching career ended at his old alma mater, Brentwood College, where he continued a successful coaching career while teaching humanities and becoming Deputy Head.

Marius is now an independent consultant currently, among other projects, with the Eastern Ontario Rugby Union developing youth rugby players to develop their skills and understanding of the game, while also the Head Coach and Technical Director for the Ottawa Irish Rugby Club and a talent scout for Rugby Canada.

This is the fourteenth instalment of a series of articles entitled “Gryphon Gallery” created by our School Archivist that provide snapshots that celebrate the achievements of a variety of alumni and staff from throughout the history of GNS.