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{{short description|Canadian curler (1935–2023)}}
{{Infobox curler
| name = Ron Northcott
| birth_name = 
| birth_date = {{birth date|1935|12|31}}
| birth_place = [[Innisfail, Alberta]], Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|5|15|1935|12|31}}
| death_place = [[Calgary, Alberta]], Canada
| Brier appearances = 6 ({{Brier|1963}}, {{Brier|1964}}, {{Brier|1966}}, {{Brier|1967}}, {{Brier|1968}}, {{Brier|1969}})
| World Championship appearances = 3 (1966, 1968, 1969)
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalSport | Men's [[curling]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{CAN}} }} 
{{MedalCompetition | [[World Curling Championships]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1966 Scotch Cup|1966 Vancouver]] | }}
{{MedalGold | [[1968 Air Canada Silver Broom|1968 Pointe Claire]] | }}
{{MedalGold | [[1969 Air Canada Silver Broom|1969 Perth]] | }}
{{MedalCountry | {{AB}} }} 
{{MedalCompetition | [[Tim Hortons Brier|Macdonald Brier]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1966 Macdonald Brier|1966 Halifax]] | }}
{{MedalGold | [[1968 Macdonald Brier|1968 Kelowna]] | }}
{{MedalGold | [[1969 Macdonald Brier|1969 Oshawa]] | }}
{{MedalSilver | [[1963 Macdonald Brier|1963 Brandon]] | }}
}}

'''Ronald Charles Northcott''', {{Post-nominals|post-noms=[[Order of Canada|CM]]}} (December 31, 1935 – May 15, 2023), nicknamed "The Owl",<ref>{{cite magazine|title=RIP Curling Skip Ron Northcott|date=May 17, 2023|magazine=Sports Illustrated|url=https://www.si.com/curling/news/rip-curling-skip-ron-northcott|accessdate=May 18, 2023}}</ref> was a Canadian three-time national and world [[curling]] champion and a Hall of Fame member.

Northcott was born in [[Innisfail, Alberta]] and raised in both [[Vulcan, Alberta|Vulcan]] and [[Milo, Alberta|Milo]] where his father, Charles was a store owner.<ref name="Brooks">{{cite news|title=You should have seen dad's grin last week!|date=April 4, 1968|page=9|newspaper=Brooks Bulletin|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooks-bulletin/124847967/|accessdate=May 17, 2023}}</ref> Northcott began curling as a high school student at age fifteen in [[Vulcan, Alberta]], and won a provincial high school championship in 1953, playing third for [[Barry Coleman (curler)|Barry Coleman]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ronald-charles-northcott|title=Ronald Charles Northcott|website=The Canadian Encyclopedia}}</ref>

Northcott's talents saw him eventually represent the province of [[Alberta]] at six [[The Brier|Briers]], Canada's national men's championship. Northcott's first Brier was [[1963 Macdonald Brier|in 1963]], playing third for [[Jimmy Shields (curler)|Jimmy Shields]]. The rink went 8–2 at the Brier, just one win shy of the champion Saskatchewan rink, skipped by [[Ernie Richardson (curler)|Ernie Richardson]]. Northcott began skipping the next season, and won a second [[Boston Pizza Cup|Alberta provincial championship]] in 1964. This sent him and his rink of [[Mike Chernoff (curler)|Mike Chernoff]], [[Ronald Baker (curler)|Ronald Baker]] and [[Fred Storey]] to the [[1964 Macdonald Brier]], representing Alberta. There, Northcott led his rink to a 5–5 record. 1965 marked the only year between 1963 and 1969 where Northcott did not win the provincial championship, having been eliminated from the Southern Alberta playdowns by his old high school skip, Barry Coleman.<ref>{{cite news|title=Larry Wood|date=February 6, 1965|page=11|newspaper=Calgary Herald|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald/124871492/|accessdate=May 17, 2023}}</ref>  Northcott returned to the Brier [[1966 Macdonald Brier|in 1966]] with teammates [[George Fink]], [[Bernie Sparkes]] and Storey. Northcott led the rink to an 8–2 round robin record, forcing a tie breaker playoff against Ontario's [[Joe Gurowka]] rink. The team defeated Ontario 7–6 in the tiebreaker, sending them to represent Canada at the [[1966 Scotch Cup]], the [[World Curling Championships]] at the time. Northcott and company won all of their games at the Worlds, including defeating Scotland's [[Chuck Hay]] rink 12–5 in the final. Northcott, Fink, Sparkes and Storey returned to the Brier [[1967 Macdonald Brier|in 1967]], but were less successful, going 7–3. The team returned in [[1968 Macdonald Brier|1968]] with Northcott's old skip Jimmy Shields throwing third, replacing Fink. At the 1968 Brier, the team went 9–1 en route to their second Brier championship. The team represented Canada at the [[1968 Air Canada Silver Broom]] World Championships. This time, the team lost one game in the round robin (against Scotland's Chuck Hay), but avenged their loss in the final, defeating the Scots 8–6. The next year, Northcott played in his final Brier with [[Dave Gerlach]]  replacing Shields at third. At the [[1969 Macdonald Brier]], the team went undefeated, winning all ten of their games. At the [[1969 Air Canada Silver Broom]], the team lost one game in the round robin to the American team, skipped by [[Bud Somerville]] finishing with a 6–1 round robin record. The team faced off against the U.S. again in the final, this time beating them, 9–6.

Northcott retired from competitive curling in 1979.<ref name="amateur">{{cite news|title=Ron Northcott (1966, 1968)|date=July 24, 1982|page=32|newspaper=Calgary Herald|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald/124847602/|accessdate=May 17, 2023}}</ref>

Ron Northcott was inducted into [[Canada's Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1970<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sportshall.ca/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famers-search.html?proID=21&lang=EN|title=Canada's Sports Hall of Fame {{!}} Honoured Members Search|website=www.sportshall.ca|access-date=2019-05-12}}</ref> and on its formation in 1973, into the [[Canadian Curling Hall of Fame]]. He was also inducted into the [[WCF Hall of Fame]] in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/blog/2013/03/26/duguid-northcott-to-be-inducted-into-world-curling-hall-of-fame/|title=Duguid, Northcott to be inducted into World Curling Hall of Fame|last=Cameron|first=Al|website=Curling Canada|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-12}}</ref> In 1976, he was made a Member of the [[Order of Canada]].

==Personal life==
Northcott was married to Gerry McKay,<ref name="obit"/> and had two children.<ref name="amateur"/>  His paternal grandparents were immigrants from England and Norway.<ref name="Brooks"/> In addition to curling, Northcott was also a race horse owner.<ref name="stable">{{cite news|title=Legendary B.C. stable rides off into sunset|date=November 2, 2001|page=F8|newspaper=Calgary Herald|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48829191/calgary-herald/|accessdate=April 16, 2020}}</ref> At the time of the 1963 Brier, he worked as an accountant for an oil supply firm.<ref>{{cite news|title=City's Second Brier Win Is Jimmy Shields' Target|date=March 1, 1963|page=19|newspaper=Calgary Herald|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald/124847454/|accessdate=May 17, 2023}}</ref> At the time of the 1966 Brier, he was an executive with Canadian Mannix Corporation in Calgary.<ref>{{cite news|title=Are We Satisfied?|date=March 12, 1966|page=43|newspaper=Edmonton Journal|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96987772/edmonton-journal/|accessdate=March 5, 2022}}</ref> After retiring from competitive curling, he worked in marketing tubular steel products to the oil industry.<ref name="amateur"/>

Northcott died in Calgary on May 15, 2023, at the age of 87.<ref name="obit">{{Cite web|url=https://mhfh.com/tribute/details/42731/Ron-Northcott/obituary.html|title=Obituary of Ron Northcott}}</ref>

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* {{Sports links}}
* [http://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ronald-charles-northcott Ron Northcott at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca]

{{Footer World Men's Curling Champions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Northcott, Ron}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Curlers from Calgary]]
[[Category:World curling champions]]
[[Category:Brier champions]]
[[Category:People from Innisfail, Alberta]]
[[Category:Canadian male curlers]]
[[Category:Canadian racehorse owners and breeders]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen]]
[[Category:Canadian people of English descent]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Norwegian descent]]
[[Category:People from Vulcan County]]