Ross Spettigue and fellow Essex District High School coach Greg Wood just wanted to give young football players an opportunity to advance their skills over the summer months.

Little did they realize back in the winter of 1977 that they would co-found a future dynasty in the Essex Ravens Football Club.

Spettigue and Wood fielded their first team later that summer in the Great Lakes Football League.

The program has since helped develop 26 players who went on to the Canadian Football League or the National Football League as well as countless others who played at the NCAA and CIS level.

For his role in establishing one of the best summer football programs in the Ontario, Spettigue is being inducted into the 2026 class of the Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame in the builder’s category.

Since starting with that one travel team, the Ravens’ program has expanded to offer competition at the bantam, junior varsity and varsity levels.

Ravens’ teams have won 11 Ontario championships and boast alumni that includes NFLer’s Luke Willson, O.J. Atogwe, Theo Johnson, Drew Desjarlais and Dakota Shepley.

In addition to coaching, Spettitue served for many years as president of the Ravens’ football club and still sits on its board of directors. His tireless efforts to promote the game have seen him recognized on the Athletic Wall of Honour in Essex along with induction into the Ravens’ Hall of Fame and the Ontario Varsity Football League’s Hall of Fame.

He will join the Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame at the annual induction dinner October 10^th at the Caboto Club.