Three-time Brier and world champ has passed
The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame has announced that three-time Canadian and world champion skip Ron “The Owl” Northcott has passed away at the age of 86.
The news was confirmed to The Curling News by 2003 STOH competitor Karine Marchand. Northcott was the grandfather of Marchand’s nephews.
Northcott’s Alberta team won Brier titles in 1966, 1968 and 1969 and captured the world title, then known as the Air Canada Silver Broom, both times.
Northcott had the same front end—lead Fred Storey and second Bernie Sparkes—for all three of those titles, and three different thirds: George Fink in 1966, Jim Shields in 1968 and Dave Gerlach in 1969.
Northcott also won silver at the 1963 Brier at Brandon, Man.
Northcott was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1970 and into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame after its inception in 1973. He became a Member of the order of Canada in 1976, and was finally enshrined in the World Curling Hall of Fame in 2013.
The legendary skip is survived by his wife Gerry and two children, son Greg and daughter Karen.
