Joe Marko, the recognized father of Mohawk College Athletics, also served in a similar role in the founding and development of the OCAA. Marko began his journey towards a long association with the OCAA in 1961 when he was named Athletic Director at the Hamilton Institute of Technology (HIT).

HIT became Mohawk College in 1967, and Joe contacted the other six original OCAA Colleges and the Ministry of Education to gain support for the concept of having a structured College athletic league.

The first OCAA Executive Committee in 1967 saw Joe serve as Secretary/Treasurer in the OCAA, which offered nine sports that year. For the next 20 years, Marko helped to establish programs and principles that placed Mohawk Athletics as a leader in the OCAA for both Varsity and Campus Recreation programs.

The Joe Marko Merit awards are presented each year to three deserving participants in Mohawk Campus Recreation. A highlight of Joe's career was a visit to the Soviet Union in 1974 with senior Canadian government sport representatives to view the Russian physical education system first hand, as one of the only College system representatives.

Joe was a trailblazer and leader not only for Mohawk College but also the entire OCAA.