OTTAWA – The Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame announced today that the founding partners of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) will be its 2017 Hall inductees. The OSEG founding partners include Roger Greenberg, John Ruddy, Jeff Hunt, John Pugh and Bill Shenkman. They will be honored at the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which takes place on June 2 at the Horticultural Building at Lansdowne Park.

“What an incredible living legacy the OSEG founding partners have built for sports fans, athletes and our city,” said Hall Chair Dave Best. “But their impact extends far beyond the revitalization of Lansdowne into a pre-eminent sports venue and marshalling the return of the CFL to the capital. Each of them has a long, history of generously supporting sport in Ottawa, and this induction is richly deserved.”

“This is a tremendous honour for the OSEG partners,” said Bernie Ashe, CEO of OSEG.  “Their journey began as an idea to have some fun bringing back CFL football to Ottawa and it evolved into a $500 million project in partnership with the City of Ottawa, that gave us the REDBLACKS, Fury FC, TD Place and the new Lansdowne. Their vision, passion and commitment, in partnership with the City of Ottawa, have transformed Lansdowne Park and enriched the lives of sports fans and all residents of the city”.

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Though the OSEG Partners will be inducted as a collective, each partner has made strong, lasting, connections to the Ottawa Sport scene, with Fury FC President Pugh playing a leading role in the club’s success since his acquisition of the club in 2002. Since then, the club has gone from strength-to-strength, providing a platform for talented young soccer players and offering the highest caliber of play for soccer fans in the Ottawa Region.