Brad Jacobs | |
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![]() Jacobs at the March 2018 Elite 10 | |
Born | Bradley Robert Jacobs June 11, 1985 |
Team | |
Curling club | Community First CC, Sault Ste. Marie, ON |
Skip | Brad Jacobs |
Third | Marc Kennedy |
Second | Brett Gallant |
Lead | Ben Hebert |
Curling career ![]() | |
Member Association | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Brier appearances | 15 (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 ranking | 1st (2013–14, 2019–20) |
Grand Slam victories | 7 (2015 Players', 2016 National, 2017 Champions Cup, 2018 Tour Challenge, 2019 Tour Challenge, 2019 National, 2020 Canadian Open) |
Medal record |
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]
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]
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.
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]
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]
Key | |
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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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
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 |
Canadian Open | DNP | DNP | QF | F | DNP | QF | Q | SF | SF | QF | C | N/A | N/A | Q [lower-alpha 1] | Q |
Players' | DNP | Q | DNP | SF | F | C | F | QF | Q | QF | N/A | SF | QF | Q [lower-alpha 1] | Q |
Champions Cup | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | DNP | C | Q | QF | N/A | QF | SF | Q [lower-alpha 1] | 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 |
Season | Skip | Third | Second | Lead |
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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 |
Bradley Raymond Gushue, ONL is a Canadian curler from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Gushue, along with teammates Russ Howard, Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab and Mike Adam, represented Canada in curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where they won the gold medal by defeating Finland 10–4. He also represented Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics, where he won a bronze medal. In addition to the Olympics, Gushue won the 2017 World Men's Curling Championship with teammates Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant, and Geoff Walker. He is a record six-time Brier champion skip, having won in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 all with Nichols, Gallant and Walker, except for 2023 and 2024 with E. J. Harnden replacing Gallant. Their win in 2017 was Newfoundland and Labrador's first Brier title in 41 years. At the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier, Gushue set a new record for Brier game wins as a skip, breaking a three-way tie with previous record-holders Russ Howard and Kevin Martin.
John C. Morris is a Canadian curler, and two-time Olympic gold medallist from Canmore, Alberta. Morris played third for the Kevin Martin team until April 24, 2013. Morris, author of the book Fit to Curl, is the son of Maureen and Earle Morris, inventor of the "Stabilizer" curling broom. Morris grew up in Gloucester, Ontario and at the age of five began curling at the Navy Curling Club.
Brent George Laing is a Canadian curler from Horseshoe Valley, Ontario. He grew up in Meaford, Ontario.
Marc Kennedy is a Canadian curler, and Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic gold medallist from St. Albert, Alberta. He currently plays third on Team Brad Jacobs.
Ryan Bennett Fry is a retired Canadian curler currently living in Pickering, Ontario. He most recently played third on the Mike McEwen team and coached the Rachel Homan team. He currently coaches the Joël Retornaz rink. He previously played third for Team Brad Jacobs, and the team represented Canada and won the gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. The team also won the 2013 Tim Hortons Brier. Fry won a silver medal at the 2013 World Men's Curling Championship.
Kevin Koe is a Canadian curler. Koe is a two-time World champion and four-time Canadian champion. He was the skip of the Canadian men's team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
Brett Philip Gallant is a Canadian curler from Chestermere, Alberta. He currently plays second on Team Brad Jacobs.
Brendan Michael Bottcher is a Canadian curler from Spruce Grove, Alberta. Bottcher is a three-time provincial men's champion, and was the skip of the 2021 Canadian men's championship team, having led Alberta to victory at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier.
Brendan "B. J." Neufeld is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Neufeld plays third for the Matt Dunstone rink. He started curling around the age of ten and, like older brother Denni Neufeld, cites the achievements of his father as leading his interest into the game of curling. His father is Chris Neufeld who was a three-time Manitoba curling champion and one time Labatt Brier champion in 1992 as part of the Vic Peters team.
Mathew Robert "Mat" Camm is a Canadian curler from Cornwall, Ontario. He currently plays third on Team Scott Howard. Camm is originally from Rockland, Ontario.
James H. Cotter is a Canadian curler from Vernon, British Columbia. He currently coaches the Corryn Brown rink.
Geoff Walker is a Canadian curler, currently living in Edmonton, Alberta. He currently plays lead for the Brad Gushue rink. He was the Men's World Champion in 2017 and won silver the following year in 2018. A six-time national champion, he won the Brier in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Walker was a two-time World Junior Champion when he won gold in 2006 and 2007.
Eric Christopher "E. J." Harnden, Jr. is a Canadian curler. He currently throws second stones for the Canadian champion Brad Gushue rink.
Ryan Harnden is a Canadian curler. He currently plays lead on Team Matt Dunstone. He is the former lead for the Brad Jacobs rink, with whom he represented Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics, winning a gold medal.
Caleb Flaxey is a Canadian curler from Caledon, Ontario.
Colton Flasch is a Canadian curler currently residing in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He currently plays third on Team Mike McEwen.
The 2016 Tim Hortons Brier, Canada's national men's curling championship, was held from March 5–13, 2016 at TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario.
Darren Moulding is a Canadian curler from Lacombe, Alberta and curls out of the Saville Sports Centre and the Lacombe Curling Club. He currently coaches and is the alternate on Team Evan van Amsterdam. He is a former Canadian Junior Silver Medallist, a Canadian Mixed Champion, and represented Alberta in the 2017, 2018, 2020 and Team Wild Card in the 2019 Brier Canadian men's championship.
Bradley Thiessen is a Canadian curler. He was a long-time member of the Brendan Bottcher rink, throwing second stones for the team until 2022. With Bottcher, he won the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier and represented Canada at the 2021 World Men's Curling Championship.
Karrick Martin is a Canadian curler. He currently plays lead on Team Kevin Koe. He is the son of 2010 Olympic champion skip Kevin Martin.