Waterloo alumni Stephen and Jodi Szimanski consider the University home and can’t wait for the return of Homecoming with Warriors Football
When Stephen Szimanski (BA ’06) and Jodi Szimanski (BA ’97, MBET ’20) came to the University of Waterloo in the 1990s, they didn't know black and gold would become part of their identities.
They lovingly named their first dog Warrior – a black-and-gold coloured Rottweiler-German Shepherd mix. In their basement, you’ll find high-top tables and chairs from the former Bombshelter pub, which Stephen managed for a few years in the ’90s. Stephen even has a Waterloo Warriors tattoo on his right arm as an ode to his time as a student-athlete.
As proud UWaterloo alumni, Stephen and Jodi can’t wait to come back to campus for the return of Homecoming.
“For four or five years, or longer, Waterloo is home for students,” Jodi said. “This is why Homecoming is important: we need to do things that remind alumni they were at home when they were on campus.”
Stephen grew up in Oshawa and was a highly sought-after high school football player with several schools to choose from. When a few football friends chose the University of Waterloo, Stephen said it felt like the right fit.
“What ended up winning out was that Waterloo felt far enough away from home, but close enough that I could go back."
Jodi grew up in Waterloo and worked in food services on campus as a teenager. She ultimately chose UWaterloo for the co-op program that allowed her to continue earning while learning.
“Co-op was a big thing for me because I had to pay for my own way through university,” Jodi said. “With co-op, I could make money while I was in school.”
I'm proud of the work that I've done at Waterloo. We met there, and that started our whole life together. Waterloo will always be an important place.
In the spring of 1996, Stephen and Jodi met on St. Patrick’s Day at the infamous Bombshelter pub.
“Stephen was a bouncer and I was a patron,” Jodi said. “The lineups were huge on St. Patrick's Day. I knew the manager because I was a regular there, so I offered to help decorate so I could skip the line. That’s when Stephen and I started talking.”
When they were dating, Jodi discovered that her student-athlete boyfriend had already developed a strong sense of pride for UWaterloo’s colours.
“Even his bedroom at home in Oshawa was black and gold – the walls were glaringly gold and his parents painted all his furniture black.”
Within five months of dating, they were engaged, and later had a black-and-gold themed wedding.
“Almost the entire football team was at our wedding,” Jodi said, and added that they’ve stayed in touch with their university friends after graduation, often taking vacations, camping and golfing together.
“We go to the Warriors football gala every year with a core group of friends,” Jodi said. “In that group, all of the girls started dating the guys when they played football."
Stephen wore #68 on UWaterloo’s football team from 1992 to 1997.
Jodi says you’ll never find a photo of him smiling in his football uniform – he was committed and focused, especially on game days.
"I kind of wish that we had phones back then because we would go to breakfast and he wouldn't speak,” Jodi joked. “He would be straight-faced already thinking about the game – so focused that I may as well have sat there alone for breakfast.”
Stephen speaks passionately about playing the game in the ’90s and loved how his teammates shared a similar mindset and intensity for the game. He attributes that to head coach Dave “Tuffy” Knight, who looked for grit in his players.
“When we were dressed in black, we were ready for a battle. That was our attitude,” Stephen said.
In 1997, the Waterloo Warriors football team won the Yates Cup, presented to the OUA (Ontario University Athletics) football champions. That’s also the season Stephen was voted All-Canadian.
More recently, in April 2023, Stephen was inducted into the Waterloo Warriors Football Ring of Honour by former teammate and current head coach, Chris Bertoia.
"I guess it means I was a good player,” Stephen said humbly. “Hearing everyone talking about you ... I felt like I was witnessing my funeral. But it was neat to see the old tape and get the recognition. My son (Elijah) turned to me and said ‘wow, you were really good.’”
Stephen is a local high school teacher and football coach at Bluevale Collegiate Institute but doesn’t often boast about his accomplishments to students.
“Some of my students will go by the Ring of Honor and take pictures of themselves with my name, then show me and say ‘hey, wait, you were pretty good’ and I respond, ‘I guess I was.’”
These days, Stephen and Jodi can’t stay away from Warrior Field and are excited to witness the Battle of Waterloo against the Laurier Golden Hawks during Homecoming on Saturday, September 21.
"We are at every home game, unless there's some family thing or something going on that we can't get out of,” Jodi said.
They purchase the Black and Gold Alumni pass annually, which gives them seats for every home game. For Stephen, it’s important to support the athletes and cheer them on, as he remembers how that felt as a player.
“When you saw former players coming back, still supporting you and wearing the colours, it meant a lot,” Stephen said.
With Stephen’s experience coaching with the Waterloo Junior Warriors, he often finds himself jumping out of his seat in the stands.
“He’s a terrible spectator,” Jodi said. “He gets frustrated and says ‘they should have done this, and why aren't they doing this.’ I think he wants to get in there.”
Stephen confirmed he is considering a return to Warriors Football as a coach when he retires from teaching.
“I could weasel my way in at Waterloo. But I would never coach for Western or Laurier,” Stephen joked. “And I’ll never teach at Huron Heights because they have purple.”
UWaterloo has played a significant role in Stephen and Jodi’s life, and they say it feels right to give back to the University that has given them so much.
“If I can give to somebody or help out with something, and that means somebody might end up loving Waterloo like I do, it's worth it,” Stephen said.
He donates monthly to the Men’s Football Program to support the next generation of student athletes.
“They need these investments,” Stephen said. “I don't know if half the guys that I played football with would be playing football now because of the time commitment and money that it takes.”
Jodi gives to the Co-op and Experiential Education Fund because she remembers what it was like as a student balancing her finances and often worrying about things like groceries.
“Waterloo is just so rigorous academically. If we can take some of those worries out of a student's life, we should try and do that,” Jodi said.
Jodi's been working at the University for 14 years and is currently the Associate Director, Communications, Engagement and Digital Experience for Co-operative Education. She also gives to the Co-op for Community Program Fund, which supports new co-op positions for students to work in non-profits facing talent and budget constraints.
“I think it's so important that we teach students about giving back to the community, so I like to be able to help co-op students work in the not-for-profit sector, where they either don't pay much or can't afford to pay students.”
Stephen and Jodi feel deeply rooted in the UWaterloo community and plan to continuing showing their support at Warriors games and giving back as long as they can.
“Five of my six co-op work terms were on campus. I worked there as a teenager. I got two degrees that I could never have gotten anywhere else. I'm proud of the work that I've done at Waterloo. We met there, and that started our whole life together,” Jodi said. “Waterloo will always be an important place.”
