Hall of Fame
Karen (Jackson) Northey was named York's female athlete of the year in 1997 after a remarkable season in which she led the women's basketball team to a silver medal at the CIAU national tournament and an OWIAA silver-medal finish. In that year, she was named to the CIAU and OWIAA all-tournament teams, received all-Canadian and OWIAA all-star honours and was named Ontario's most valuable player. She began her five-year career (1993-98) at York by being named to the CIAU all-rookie team in 1994 and was named an OWIAA all-star five times. She was also the OWIAA female representative among the Top Eight Academic All-Canadians twice (1993-94, 1994-95). Northey still holds York records for most points in a season (418), most rebounds in a game (22) and most rebounds in a career (589).
Few people have the unique combination of skill and dedication to be among the best both on the court and in the classroom, and it is that ability that makes Karen (Jackson) Northey stand out. A member of the York women’s basketball team in the mid-1990s, she was a star in both athletics and academics and helped establish York as a top basketball program.
“Karen represented the true spirit of what athletics and student life are all about,” said women’s basketball head coach Bill Pangos. “She was one of those exceptional athletes who could balance academics and athletics and maintain excellence in both.”
On the court, that excellence brought about numerous accolades. Northey came to the University in 1993 thanks to the recruiting efforts of Pangos and because she received the Proctor scholarship, one of York’s highest entrance awards. She made an immediate impact on the squad and the University as she was named to the CIAU all-rookie team and received OWIAA all-star honours in her first year, while academically she was named the OWIAA representative among the Top Eight Academic All-Canadians, a feat she would repeat the following season.
“When Karen decided to accept York’s offer, not only did our basketball program benefit with an outstanding student-athlete but she was a great ambassador for York University,” said Pangos.
In her five years with the squad, Northey led her team to unprecedented success. The pinnacle of those years was in her fourth season in 1997, when the team went to the CIAU national championship and returned home with the silver medal. She also earned numerous individual accolades that year, including the York athlete of the year award, CIAU and OWIAA all-tournament team honours, all-Canadian and OWIAA all-star status and the OWIAA player of the year award, but she picks the team result as the highlight of the year.
“The standout for me in that year was the team dynamic,” said Northey. “It was a really magical culmination where everyone was devoted and dedicated and everyone wanted to up their game. The team focus was the nationals, which was something we hadn’t had before, and then achieving that goal and being at the tournament was surreal.”
Northey has translated her university accomplishments into a successful career as a doctor. Also a mother of three, she credits her time spent on the basketball team at York with teaching her many life lessons she now uses.
“Family medicine is moving into more of a team-based environment and I learned a lot about working effectively with people and how to draw out the best in others from playing basketball,” said Northey. “I also learned a lot about self-discipline and time management, how to balance a lot of competing things, and that has definitely helped me out.”
It comes as no surprise to those who knew her at York that Northey has gone on to experience success in her career and her personal life. It has always been her way to excel in whatever she’s chosen to do.
