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Brad Jacobs

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Brad Jacobs
Curler
Jacobs at the March 2018 Elite 10
Born
Bradley Robert Jacobs

(1985-06-11) June 11, 1985 (age 39)
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Team
Curling clubCommunity First CC,
Sault Ste. Marie, ON
SkipBrad Jacobs
ThirdMarc Kennedy
SecondBrett Gallant
LeadBen Hebert
Curling career
Member Association Northern Ontario (1995–2022)
 Manitoba (2023–2024)
 Alberta (2024–present)
Brier appearances15 (2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024)
World Championship
appearances		1 (2013)
Olympic
appearances		1 (2014)
Top CTRS ranking1st (2013–14, 2019–20)
Grand Slam victories7 (2015 Players', 2016 National, 2017 Champions Cup, 2018 Tour Challenge, 2019 Tour Challenge, 2019 National, 2020 Canadian Open)
Medal record
Men's Curling
Representing  Canada
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2014 Sochi
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2013 Victoria
Representing  Northern Ontario
Canadian Olympic Curling Trials
Gold medal – first place 2013 Winnipeg
Silver medal – second place 2021 Saskatoon
The Brier
Gold medal – first place 2013 Edmonton
Silver medal – second place 2015 Calgary
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Halifax
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Ottawa
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Brandon

Bradley Robert Jacobs[1] (born June 11, 1985) is a Canadian curler from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.[2] He currently skips his own team out of Calgary, Alberta. He is an Olympic champion skip, having led Canada to a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Jacobs is also the 2013 Tim Hortons Brier championship skip and the 2013 World Championship runner-up. He is a 12-time Northern Ontario provincial champion, and one-time provincial junior champion.

Jacobs and his Olympic gold medallist team were well known for their physical fitness.[3] They have been described as "fitness freaks" and are "embracing curling's athletic evolution as much or more than any other team".[4]

Jacobs was born in Sault Ste. Marie, the son of Bob and Cynthia Jacobs (née Harnden).[1]

Career

[edit]

Junior career

[edit]

Jacobs began curling at age ten with a coach named Tom Coulterman in 1995. Coulterman saw potential in them and formed a team, Jacobs played third for Ryan Harnden and was also joined by Matt Premo and Scott Seabrook. As Jacobs entered high school, he entered competitive curling and took it seriously. He played second for Harnden in tournaments age 16 and under and played second for E. J. Harnden on the highschool team. In the fall, they formed a team together with E.J. as skip, Ryan as second, and Jacobs threw lead stones. They came third in the tournament. By Fall 2001, they added Caleb Flaxey at third. They were starting to feel comfortable enough as a team that they entered the Regal Capital Curling Classic men's bonspiel at their home club. The bonspiel included most of the best teams from the region, including one skipped by Al Harnden and featuring Eric Harnden. 1998 men's Olympic curling champion Patrick Hurlimann also was in the bonspiel. In the first draw, they were matched against Hurlimann. They won the game 5-3. "Once we got the lead, they were kind of shocked," Flaxey told the Sault Star. Hurlimann was sure that "they will have a bright future".[5]

He had a successful junior career, winning the Northern Ontario Junior Men's Championship in 2005 with teammates Brady Barnett, Scott Seabrook and Steve Molodowich. This gave his team a berth at the 2005 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, representing the region. At the Canadian Juniors, he led the team to an 8–4 record, good enough for fourth place, but outside the playoffs.[6]

Men's career

[edit]

Jacobs was then picked up to play for his uncle, Al Harnden, with Jacobs throwing last rocks on the team. The team finished 5–6 at the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier. Jacobs participated in the 2008 Tim Hortons Brier as an alternate for another uncle, Eric Harnden. In 2008, Jacobs formed his own team with his cousins (Eric's sons) E. J. Harnden and Ryan Harnden as well as Caleb Flaxey. The team won the Northern Ontario provincial title in 2010, qualifying for the 2010 Tim Hortons Brier where they made the playoffs, the first team from Northern Ontario to do that since the 1993 Labatt Brier. Jacobs' team represented Northern Ontario again at the 2011 Tim Hortons Brier, where they finished with a 7–4 record, out of the playoffs. The team went to the Brier again in 2012, where they finished 5–6. The following year at the 2013 Tim Hortons Brier, they became the first team from Northern Ontario to win the Brier since 1985. The win gave them the right to represent Canada at the 2013 Ford World Men's Curling Championship. At the Worlds, Jacobs skipped the Canadian team to a silver medal, losing to Sweden's Niklas Edin in the final. However, his team was able to win their first international championship at the 2014 Winter Olympics, winning 9–3 in the men's final over Great Britain.

Following their Olympic success, the Jacobs rink once again made it to the Brier in 2015. After posting a 10-1 round robin record in first place, they won the 1 vs. 2 game sending them to the finals against the defending Brier champions, Team Canada (skipped by Pat Simmons), which they lost. Later in the season the Jacobs rink won their first career Grand Slam event, winning the 2015 Players' Championship.

At the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier, the Jacobs rink once again tore through the round robin, going undefeated to finish in first place. However, they ran into trouble in the playoffs, losing to Newfoundland and Labrador in the 1 vs. 2 game and to Alberta in the semifinals. They did rebound in the bronze medal game, defeating Manitoba to finish third overall.

The 2016-17 season would be the best to date for the Jacobs rink on the World Curling Tour, winning two slams, the 2016 Boost National and the 2017 Humpty's Champions Cup. At the 2017 Tim Hortons Brier, the team would once again make the playoffs, after posting an 8-3 round robin record. However, they lost both of their playoff games, settling for fourth place.

Jacobs played in the 2017 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials attempting to head to the Olympics again, but his team would finish with a disappointing 3-5 record, missing the playoffs. The team again represented Northern Ontario at the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier, making it to the playoffs with an 8-3 record, but lost to Alberta's Brendan Bottcher rink in the 3 vs. 4 game.

The next season, the Jacobs rink won the 2018 Tour Challenge Grand Slam event. A month later, the team won the 2018 Canada Cup, their first Canada Cup title, defeating Kevin Koe's rink in the final. The team had Marc Kennedy playing third, filling in for Ryan Fry, who is on sabbatical following unsportsmanlike behaviour and excessive drinking at the 2018 Red Deer Curling Classic.[7] The team once again represented Northern Ontario at the 2019 Tim Hortons Brier. The team went 9-2 in the round robin and championship round combined. Jacobs lost the 1vs2 game to Kevin Koe and the semifinal to Brendan Bottcher resulting in the team getting the bronze medal.[8]

The following season, the team officially added Kennedy to the line-up at third with Fry going to play with John Epping. In their first event, the 2019 AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic, the team went undefeated up until the final where they would lose to former teammate Fry and Team Epping. Team Jacobs won three straight Grand Slam events, at the Tour Challenge, National and the Canadian Open. They would win the 2020 Northern Ontario Men's Provincial Curling Championship for the sixth year in a row. At the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier, they battled through two tiebreakers before losing to Newfoundland and Labrador's Brad Gushue in the 3 vs. 4 game, all within the same day. It would be the team's last event of the season as both the Players' Championship and the Champions Cup Grand Slam events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

Team Jacobs played in two tour events during the 2020–21 season, winning the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard and losing in the qualification game of the Ashley HomeStore Curling Classic. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, the 2021 provincial championship was cancelled. As the reigning provincial champions, Team Jacobs was chosen to represent Northern Ontario at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier.[10] At the Brier, Jacobs led his team to a 7–5 sixth place finish.[11] They wrapped up the season by making it to the quarterfinals of the 2021 Champions Cup and the semifinals of the 2022 Players' Championship.

Team Jacobs began the 2021–22 curling season by winning the 2021 Oakville Labour Day Classic. The next month, they lost in the final of the 2021 Masters, but did not make the playoffs at the 2021 National. The team played in the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, where Jacobs led the team to a 7–1 round robin record, tied for first. They then knocked off Kevin Koe in the semifinal before losing to Brad Gushue in the final. The team rolled through 2022 Northern Ontario Men's Provincial Curling Championship, losing just one game en route to the championship. The team was missing Kennedy who was playing as the alternate for Team Canada at the 2022 Olympics. He was replaced by Jordan Chandler.[12] The team then represented Northern Ontario at the 2022 Tim Hortons Brier, where Jacobs led the rink to a 6–2 round robin record. This put them into the Championship round, where they were eliminated by Saskatchewan's Colton Flasch rink. The team then finished the season by making it to the quarterfinals of the 2022 Players' Championship and the semis of the 2022 Champions Cup.

In March 2022, Jacobs announced he would be stepping back from competitive curling.[13] He made his return in 2023, playing third for Reid Carruthers' rink in the Canadian Open. Jacobs will play for the team for the remainder of the season's Slams.[14] He competed in the 2023 Northern Ontario Men's Provincial Curling Championship, skipping a rink of Jordan Chandler, Kyle Chandler, and Jamie Broad; they failed to reach the playoffs.[15]

Starting in the 2023-24 curling season, Jacobs joined the former Reid Carruthers team full-time as their skip. The team won their first Manitoba Provincial Championship, where Jacobs represented Manitoba for the first time at the 2024 Montana's Brier.

Eight-ender

[edit]

During the semifinal of The Dominion 2012 Northern Ontario Men's Curling Championship, Jacobs and team scored a rare eight-ender, in the sixth end to win the game 14–3.[16][17]

Personal life

[edit]

Jacobs was born on June 11, 1985, in Sault Ste. Marie. Jacobs holds a bachelor's degree in geography from Algoma University.[18] He currently works as a senior marketing director for World Financial Group.[19] He is married to Shawna Jacobs and has two children.[20]

Grand Slam record

[edit]
Key
C Champion
F Lost in Final
SF Lost in Semifinal
QF Lost in Quarterfinals
R16 Lost in the round of 16
Q Did not advance to playoffs
T2 Played in Tier 2 event
DNP Did not participate in event
N/A Not a Grand Slam event that season
Event 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Tour Challenge N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A QF Q SF C C N/A N/A DNP QF QF
Canadian Open DNP DNP QF F DNP QF Q SF SF QF C N/A N/A Q[a] Q QF
The National Q DNP DNP QF Q F QF C Q QF C N/A Q DNP Q
Masters DNP Q Q QF DNP SF QF F QF Q QF N/A F DNP QF
Players' DNP Q DNP SF F C F QF Q QF N/A SF QF Q[a] Q
Champions Cup N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A DNP C Q QF N/A QF SF Q[a] N/A N/A
Elite 10 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A SF DNP F QF SF N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Teams

[edit]
Season Skip Third Second Lead
2004–05 Brad Jacobs Brady Barnett Scott Seabrook Steve Molodowich
2006–07 Al Harnden Brad Jacobs Dusty Jakomait Rob Thomas
2007–08[21] Al Harnden Brad Jacobs Dusty Jakomait Rob Thomas
2008–09 Brad Jacobs E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden Caleb Flaxey
2009–10 Brad Jacobs E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden Caleb Flaxey
2010–11 Brad Jacobs E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden Scott Seabrook
2011–12 Brad Jacobs E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden Scott Seabrook
2012–13 Brad Jacobs Ryan Fry E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden
2013–14 Brad Jacobs Ryan Fry E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden
2014–15 Brad Jacobs Ryan Fry E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden
2015–16 Brad Jacobs Ryan Fry E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden
2016–17 Brad Jacobs Ryan Fry E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden
2017–18 Brad Jacobs Ryan Fry E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden
2018–19 Brad Jacobs Ryan Fry E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden
2019–20 Brad Jacobs Marc Kennedy E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden
2020–21[22] Brad Jacobs Marc Kennedy E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden
2021–22 Brad Jacobs Marc Kennedy E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden
2023 (playdowns) Brad Jacobs Jordan Chandler Kyle Chandler Jamie Broad
2023 (Slams) Reid Carruthers Brad Jacobs Derek Samagalski Connor Njegovan
2023–24 Brad Jacobs Reid Carruthers Derek Samagalski Connor Njegovan
2024–25 Brad Jacobs Marc Kennedy Brett Gallant Ben Hebert

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Jacobs spared for Jason Gunnlaugson on Team Reid Carruthers.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Jacobs". The Sault Star. June 28, 1985. p. 2. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "2020 Tim Hortons Brier Media Guide" (PDF). Curling Canada. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  3. ^ Donna Spencer, Canadian Press (March 11, 2013). "Northern Ontario ushers in a new generation of curlers". National Post. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014.
  4. ^ "Sochi 2014: Canadian men's curling skip Brad Jacobs embracing his moment". thestar.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  5. ^ Ice gold : canada's curling champions. [S.l.]: Ecw Press. 2014. ISBN 978-1770412477. ASIN 1770412476.
  6. ^ 2005 Karcher Canadian Junior Men's Curling Championship. Team and player identification
  7. ^ Strong, Gregory (December 3, 2018). "Marc Kennedy filling in for Ryan Fry as Team Jacobs heads to Canada Cup". The Globe and Mail.
  8. ^ "Kevin Koe captures 4th Brier title with 10th-end magic | CBC Sports".
  9. ^ "GSOC cancels remaining events of 2019–20 season". Grand Slam of Curling. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  10. ^ The Canadian Press (December 21, 2020). "Ontario, Manitoba cancel provincial playdowns". TSN. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  11. ^ "2021 Tim Hortons Brier: Scores, schedule, standings". Sportsnet. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  12. ^ "Manitoulin's Jordan Chandler to curl with Brad Jacobs rink at Ont. Curling championship". February 9, 2022.
  13. ^ "End of an era: Team Brad Jacobs calling it quits later this year".
  14. ^ "Brad Jacobs to join Team Carruthers for remaining GSOC events for 2022-23 season".
  15. ^ 2023 Men's and Women's Provincial
  16. ^ "Game Scores » 2011-2012 Northern Ontario Men's The Dominion Men's NOCA Provincials » Playdowns.com - Sweeping the nation with great curling coverage".
  17. ^ "2013 Brier Champion Brad Jacobs scores an 8-Ender in 2012 Northern Ontario Playdowns Semi-Final". YouTube. February 11, 2012.
  18. ^ "Team Jacobs :: About Us". Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  19. ^ Media Guide
  20. ^ 2017 Brier Media Guide: Team Northern Ontario
  21. ^ "Shorty Jenkins Classic 2007 – Teams". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
  22. ^ "2020–21 Men's Curling Teams". CurlingZone. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
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