Athlete - Soccer
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019
A native of Hamilton, ON, Mike Cino was recruited to Acadia in 1991 to play men’s soccer, but according to former Axemen teammate Jeff Aucoin, he was “an incredible athlete who could probably have played any sport at the varsity level.”
Initially a fullback in his freshman year, Cino made an immediate splash in his first season at Acadia in the fall of 1991, helping the Axemen to a 6-2-3 regular-season record and an AUAA playoff berth. He was rewarded for a solid freshman season with the AUAA conference Rookie of the Year award and was also Acadia University’s Outstanding First-Year Male Athlete of the Year.
Cino played for the Axemen for four seasons – three as a midfielder, from 1991-1994, then after his graduation from Acadia in 1995, he returned for a fifth and final season in the fall of 1996.
The Axemen hosted the CIAU championship in Wolfville in the fall of 1993. Cino was chosen the Most Sportsmanlike Player of the national tournament - the R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award for Men's Soccer which was awarded to a soccer player who best exemplifies leadership, integrity, fair play, dignity, and the spirit of sport.
In 1994, he earned his first of two AUAA all-star selections as a midfielder. In his final season, 1996, Cino saved his best for last, earning a second conference all-star berth and adding a second-team all-Canadian selection as the Axemen won their first-ever AUAA championship.
Aucoin recalls Cino as “the complete package” as a player – “skilled, fast strong and smart – but what set him apart was his toughness.”
Cino “famously got a yellow card on his first tackle for Acadia, after which he said that he ‘had to set the tone’. The thing is,” Aucoin recalls, “he played every minute like that.”
Cino played his entire career “with an intensity that was really ‘next level’” and “almost unmatched” among players of his era. “He had relentless fight and determination on the field,” and was “truly inspiring to watch. People hated playing against him because he was ‘non-stop’.”
Aucoin recalls that during the 1993 season, his third with the Axemen, Cino, who was left-footed, suffered a huge cut – “a hole, really “ – on his left foot as the result of an auto collision prior to training camp.
Most players “would have been out for the season, but not Mike. He literally played the entire season using his right foot and was still a top player.” Aucoin describes it as “probably the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen in sports.”
Head coach John Kehoe recalls Mike having a high work rate in games and practices. “Mike’s work rate in games was only matched by his work rate in practice. During his five years I never saw Mike take it easy in practice. During drills, scrimmage, and fitness sessions I can still see Mike putting his head down and pushing to the maximum. Mike's dedication and loyalty to Acadia soccer allowed the team to have a high level of success.”
He was most proud to have maintained a grade point average over 3.00 throughout his time at Acadia. He received the David Ryan Memorial Scholarship during the 1993-94 and 1996-97 academic years - Awarded to an outstanding Varsity Athlete with an excellent academic record.
The Acadia Sport Hall of Fame is pleased to induct, in the Athlete category, Mike Cino, “a true natural leader, both by example and vocally, on and off the pitch, and a great teammate.”