Hall of Fame
Soccer player Odile Desbois, a current Montrealer, was born Sept. 2, 1973 in Sherbrooke, Que., Desbois attended Ecole primaire Brebeuf in Sherbrooke, then Ecole secondaire Mitchell-Montcalm and Collège de Sherbrooke before moving on to McGill in 1992. A member of the Quebec provincial team from 1989 to 1993, she also had summer stints with a couple of club teams, namely Les Mistrales de Sherbrooke and Dorval United.
At McGill, Desbois played five seasons for the soccer Martlets. She earned a physical education degree in 1996, took the next season off -- while starting a science degree in physical and occupational therapy -- and then returned to the soccer pitch at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium in the 1997-98 school year. She completed her BSc in 1999 and currently is employed as a physiotherapist.
The 5-foot-5 speedster was a defensive midfielder who also had occasional stints as a forward. A four-time Quebec conference all-star, she made the second team in 1992, then merited a berth on the first squad in 1994, 1995 and again in 1997.
Desbois received CIS All-Canadian honours on three occasions, making the second team in 1994, followed by first-team status in both 1995 and 1997.
From 1992 to 1995, Desbois helped lead McGill to four consecutive RSEQ conference championships and a silver-medal finish at the 1992 Nationals. She was voted Team MVP in her senior year and twice won the league's player-of-the-year award -- in 1995 and 1997. In her final campaign, she was honoured with the Chantal Navert Award as CIS national player of the year.
