A $100,000 endowment fund has been set up at the University of Victoria in memory of Mackenzie Rigg, a former Vikes soccer captain who died of brain cancer last year.
The Mackenzie Rigg endowment was created and funded by his parents, Chris and Barbara Rigg, and will go towards providing an annual award of $6,000 to an undergrad or graduate student who embodies Rigg’s “remarkable qualities and contributions to the men’s soccer program.”
Rigg was unexpectedly diagnosed with brain cancer in 2020. His teammates and the UVic community quickly rallied behind him, launching the Vikes Kick Cancer initiative and raising more than $170,000 over two years.
His former teammate, Will Adams, is the first person to receive the new award.
Adams helped lead the Vikes Kick Cancer fundraiser, and says the new endowment fund will serve as a fitting legacy for Rigg.
“Having been teammates with Mackenzie for a number of years, I experienced firsthand the great contributions he made to our team and the overall community,” he said in a release Friday.
“An annual award that honours his life is a great way to preserve his impact and extend it to the coming generations of UVic athletes.”
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Rigg’s parents say Mackenzie was always passionate about soccer and started playing at the young age of three.
“Mackenzie was very family-oriented, and the team and his teammates were his family,” they said. “Because of that, it seemed appropriate that we continue the tradition and give back to the program that was such a big part of his life.”
Adam Chan
