JASON DE VOS

When it comes to a local hero Jason de Vos is your man. Armed with a load of impeccable credentials, he is simply one of the persons who put London soccer on the map.
Right from the time he was a teen star growing up in nearby Appin, it seemed as if Jason was destined for big things. Born in London on January 2, 1974, he began an star-studded career in 1990 as a 15-year-old high schooler playing for the London Lasers of the old Canadian Soccer League or CSL. He also saw action with the Kitchener Kickers also of the CSL.
Then came a five-year session with the Montreal Impact of the American Professional League, the last two on loan to the Darlington Quakers of the English Third Division. In 1998 Jason signed a contract with Darlington before moving to Dundee United of the Scottish Premier League on a 400-pound transfer. By this time he had developed into an all-star defender and spent three years with Dundee captaining the Terrors in 2000-01.
Often times the life of a professional soccerist can be rather nomadic and in 2001 he was signed by Wigan Athletic of the English Second Division on a 500 pound transfer. More good things happened and Jason captained Wigan to a promotion to the First Division while team was named the Division Two team of the year.
In 2004 Jason packed his boots again and transferred to Ipswich Town FC where was was named captain. After the 2007-08 season he retired to a standing ovation during the team's parade lap of the pitch.
Jason never forgot his Canadian roots and appeared in 49 international matches. He has represented Canada in 11 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and played in the 2001 Confederation Cup. And he captained Team Canada from 1999 until retirement from international soccer in 2004.
He was named a tournament all-star for both the 2000 and 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments in which Canada placed first and third respectively.He scored the winning goal in Canada's 2-0 win over Colombia in 2000. Just an amazing career.
These days Jason can be found as the technical director of the Oakville Soccer Club. He provides television commentary for CBC and GolTV. Included are Toronto FC matches and special events such as the FIFA 2010 World Cup.
And he does a pretty fair job as a master of ceremonies at a sports banquet, a task he handled with ease and professionalism at last year's Spirit of Sport Hall of Fame induction. This time he's on the receiving end. The London Sports Hall of Fame is proud to welcome Jason de Vos in the athlete modern category.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• JASON DE VOS
• London Ontario
• Ontario Canada