When leadership lifts communities: UWIN
When Kevin Chief (BA 98) first walked into the newly opened Duckworth Centre as a junior high student in the late 1980s, the Wesmen players seemed larger than life.
Kevin Chief (BA 98) will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award for Community Impact
"I remember the players. They were so big, and so good," he recalls.
Then his teacher pointed to the sidelines.
"You see that guy? That's Bill Wedlake. He's from the North End, and one day you can play here too."
Growing up Indigenous, and with a single father in Winnipeg's North End, Kevin never imagined attending university. He didn't even know anyone who had graduated high school, let alone earned a degree. But he had a gift: he could shoot a basketball better than most kids.
"I thought if I started going to school and putting in the effort, maybe one day I could play for the Wesmen," says Kevin. "That moment gave me the license to dream about playing university ball."
With the support of strong mentors, educators and community members, Kevin overcame the hardships of poverty, racism, and profound loss to become one of the few Indigenous athletes playing university level basketball in Canada during the 1990s.
He joined one of the country's top basketball programs and, although playing time was limited in his early years, earned his place through determination, discipline, and academic commitment. By the end of his university career, he had become team captain and was named a Great Plains Athletic Conference First Team All-Star.
The Wesmen Men's Basketball program opened the door to higher education, but the lessons Kevin carried with him extended far beyond the court.
"When I entered university, I really needed a proper structure," he recalls. "What Bill Wedlake understood, was that to build character in people, they had to work as hard in the classroom as they did on the basketball court."
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Coach Wedlake and the University of Winnipeg.
Kevin Chief
"I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Coach Wedlake and the University of Winnipeg," says Kevin. "The University saw a talent in me, and I became one of the rare Indigenous players that got to compete at that level because of the University of Winnipeg."
The opportunities that transformed Kevin's life are the same opportunities he has spent his career creating for others.
As co-founder of the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre (WASAC), he has helped thousands of Indigenous children and youth access sports, mentorship, positive role models and employment opportunities. Today, WASAC is one of Canada's largest employers of Indigenous young people.
"Children have a natural ability to create and influence change," says Kevin. "We have a collective responsibility to try and give young people role models to show them that life is hard, that they're going to struggle and fall, but that others have walked the same path and have overcome those challenges."
Decades after someone showed him what was possible, Kevin has become that example for others, demonstrating that circumstances do not define a person's future.
Through his work as a speaker, mentor, advocate, author, and community leader, Kevin has dedicated himself to helping others realize their full potential. Whether through WASAC, his support of organizations such as the Southern Chiefs' Organization and True North Sports + Entertainment, or his recently published memoir, With a Name Like Chief: Reflections on Recovery and Identity Through the Seven Sacred Teachings, he continues to inspire others by sharing his story and creating pathways to success.
The University of Winnipeg is proud to honour Kevin Chief with the Community Impact Distinguished Alumni Award at the Distinguished Alumni Awards Night on Thursday, October 29. Everyone is welcome to join the celebration at the WAG-Qaumajuq. Tickets are available now on the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards website.
