She's a Hall of Famer. Not only that, she's the only Canadian ever to win a CIAU (CIS) and NCAA title. She walks the halls of Brock University everyday.  

She's Interim Badgers Athletic Director Chris Critelli.

And to say there's a former athlete in charge of Brock Athletics would be a huge understatement.

Critelli says her love of sports all began with the help of her siblings. 

"Growing up with three brothers and two sisters, we played anything and everything together.  " My sister and I thought we invented the give and go in our living room.   Yes we were allowed to play with balls in our home," said the smiling 57-year old.

Growing up in south St. Catharines, Critelli attended Christ the King Elementary School.  From there it was onto Denis Morris Secondary School where she played a variety of sports.  In fact, Critelli isn't afraid to admit: "I think my love of basketball came after golf.  I just liked being active."

Critelli's high school hoops career, if you could call it that, earned her an invitation to try out for Canada's National Team.  "I had no idea how to play the game.  It was sheer athleticism that got me where I was," Critelli said.  

 As a matter of fact, Critelli would later find out that head coach and Canadian basketball legend Jack Donohue would tell his then assistant Norm Vickery "You can go across the rest of the country and if you can find someone as athletic as Chris – bring her in.  You'll find better basketball players but you won't find anybody as athletic."
The modest Critelli even remembers Donohue telling her:  "Chris you're a terrible basketball player." 

But Critelli also vividly remembers thinking,  "I didn't know what it was to be on a National Team and when Jack told us this team would eventually go to the Olympics I was completely blown away.  I was stunned."  

 Athleticism, skill or the will to succeed - whatever it was Critelli would make the 1976 Canadian Olympic Team.  And it just so happened the 76' Games were in Montreal.    

"Going into Olympic Stadium and Canada is the host so we're last in and walking in was a feeling I had never, ever, felt before in my life.  I felt like I was walking on a cloud.  I really thought I was four or five feet off the ground walking.  It was that euphoric."

Before the Olympics began Donohue would hand the reigns of the women's team to another high-profile basketball name, Brian Heaney, so he could concentrate on the men's program.

And by the time Canada had tipped off its first game, against Japan, at the 1976 Olympics Critelli was 18.   Despite being the youngest Canadian on the floor, the athletic St. Catharines native made her presence felt.

"I remember I was last off the bench in the first game and then in the second game I was first off the bench. "

Critelli not only used her athleticism to earn more floor time, her height didn't hurt either.

"I played guard, and back then 5'10" guards were unheard of (in the women's game) Russia had a 5'10" guard and we did. "

Critelli would play seven years with the National Program and win three bronze medals.  During that time she would also do what no other Canadian has ever done and will likely never do -  win a Canadian University Championship (CIAU) two in fact with Laurentian, and two NCAA titles with Old Dominion University. 

"We had won two national championships at Laurentian and won easily, and I wanted more competition," explained Critelli.   "I felt if I was going to get better for the National Team I would go somewhere where no one knows who I am and where I would really have to work hard to crack a starting line-up. I looked around at different places in the States and ended up at Old Dominion."

Critelli's success on the court would also lead to a short professional stint with the Chicago Hustle, but more importantly  lead her to a coaching offer and ultimately where she is today at Brock University. 

"So I'm down in Virginia, at Old Dominion, desperately looking for a job – something in sports.  I was kind of floundering,  one summer, wondering what my next move or job would be when my mom had gone to a Brock Basketball game and ran into Bob Davis and Bob said "what's your daughter doing these days?"  A few days later I get a call from Arnie (then Athletic Director Arnie Lowenberger) and he asked me if I would be interested in coaching and being the coordinator of Athletics for women.  So I drove home and got the job that day.  That was May of 1982, and I've been here ever since."

Ever since, yes.  But not before coaching the Badgers Women's Basketball team to 393 career victories and playoff appearances in 22 of her 25 seasons at the helm. 
Coaching is where Critelli really took in what sports and life are all about.

"When you've coached 27 years (seven years as an Assistant with Canada's National program as well) you learn a ton about people and about yourself.  The Championships, it really is and was about the process. About the growth in them, what you see in them.  Your growth as a person, I would do things so differently now.  I'm just so happy I got that experience." 

Critelli, who has been enshrined in three separate Hall of Fames – the Canadian and Ontario Basketball and the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame, stepped away from coaching to do what else? 

"Play more sports.  I wanted to see how good I could be at curling and golf."

 How does a one-handicap golfer sound? 

Now in her fourth stint as Interim Badgers Athletic Director, and amazingly 34^th year at Brock, Critelli can see the end in sight but first has a number of goals for one of Canada's fastest growing Universities.

"I want to leave Brock in a good place.  And not just the Athletic Department – I'm talking the entire University.   I want to see it thrive.  We're getting there but there's a lot of work to do."

As for retirement?  That's not yet in her vocabulary.  And perhaps this quote sums up just who Chris Critelli truly is.

"I don't think I've had a regretful moment in my life.  It's just my nature.  Whatever life throws at me, I welcome.  I learn.  I love.   There's a real positive of me that I learned from my mom and dad.  I really want to give back to my community one day."

"I want to write a book one day."

Just don't tell her she's a terrible basketball player.