Aaron Carpenter

2019 Inductee – Athlete, Rugby

Aaron Carpenter Aaron began his rugby career in Grade 9 at Brantford Collegiate Institute. In 2001, he was part of the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSSA) Gold Medal team and at sixteen he joined the Brantford Harlequins Senior Men. Aaron represented Rugby Ontario at U16, U18 and U21 levels and Rugby Canada at U19, U21 Junior World Cup Events. At McMaster University, Aaron helped to power the team to three Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championships.

Named 2002 OAU Rookie of the Year and 2003 OAU Most Valuable Player, Aaron joined the Canadian National Senior Men’s Team and, in 2005, played his first “Capped” game against the USA. That year he was the Canadian Rookie of the Year. He scored the first “try” against USA as Captain of the National Rugby Team in 2012, qualifying Canada for the 2015 World Cup.

Aaron represented Canada in three Rugby World Cups in France (2007), New Zealand (2011) and England (2015). Recruited to join the professional Championship League based in the United Kingdom in 2009, Aaron played with Coventry, Plymouth, Penzance, London Welsh, and finished his professional career at Doncaster.

He was Brantford’s Sports Person of the Year in 2011 and 2017 and retired from playing rugby in 2017. In 2018 he volunteered as a coach with Rugby Ontario’s Elite rugby program and is now a coach for Major League Rugby team Toronto Arrows. Aaron represented Canada 80 times in his rugby career and currently holds the Canadian record as “Most Capped Player”.

Click to view an interview with Aaron Carpenter.