The Orangeville Sports Hall of Fame

Nomination Form  Deadline for nominations will be March 31, 2011.

The Purpose of the Orangeville Sports Hall of Fame

The purpose of the Orangeville Sports Hall of Fame is to celebrate those who have honoured our community through sport.  This may be either an athlete who was born here and went on to achieve greatness in sport or who while living here represented Orangeville at a high level.  There must also be room in any great Hall of Fame for those who helped build sport as a coach, on an executive, as an official or in any other capacity as deemed appropriate by the committee both within our community or someone from our community who has contributed to the greater sporting community at large.  Regardless of the selection criteria as set out below all of those who have brought honour to our community through sport should be able to find their way into the Hall

Who is eligible?
Nominees may be considered under one of the following 2 categories:

Athletes: To be considered for selection into the Hall of Fame an athlete must have been outstanding in their field of endeavour or have been highly proficient in many fields without necessarily reaching the top level in any one.  The athlete must achieve an “outstanding” level over an extended period of time or attain a single remarkable achievement of note.  Athletes competing at any level whether it be local, district, provincial, national, international, or professional shall be given equal consideration.  Exemplary feats of sportsmanship may be considered on an equal level with athletic endeavours.

The committee should attempt to maintain a broad focus however documentary evidence should be available and considered along with the views of the athletes contemporaries including team mates, coaches, and competitors.

The criteria for teams will be the same as those used for athletes however a maximum of one team may be selected in any one selection year.

Builder: To be considered for selection into the Hall of Fame as a builder a person must have made an outstanding contribution to sport either within the community or someone from the community who has made an outstanding contribution to sport at large.  This would include but not be restricted to coaches, officials, executives, sponsors or a combination of the aforementioned.  There would need to be a contribution to sport over an extended period of time however just because someone contributed over a long time does not necessitate inclusion in the Hall.  It is necessary that the contribution be made at a consistently high level or achieved consistently high results.

 Previous Years

Sports Hall of Fame Induction Dinner 2005
This inaugural dinner, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Orangeville, was held Saturday, May 28, 2005 and was a great community event for Orangeville.  The highlight of the evening was the induction of the first four members of the Orangeville Sports Hall of Fame, and seeing them truly moved by the recognition.

The four inductees (l to r): Dr. George Campbell (Accepted by his grandson), Phyllis Briscoe, Terry Sanderson (accepted by his daughter) and Bryon Mackie.

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees 2005
The charter inductees to the Orangeville Sports Hall of Fame have been selected by the Community Committee as follows:

Terry Sanderson - Lacrosse/Hockey - Athlete/Builder
Has won a multitude of provincial and national lacrosse titles as a player and a coach in addition to coaching 2 provincial hockey champions.  Current coach of the Toronto Rock.

Phyllis Briscoe- Lacrosse – Builder
Long time president of Orangeville Minor Lacrosse and has coached several women's provincial field lacrosse champions.  Also active in the Ontario Lacrosse Association

Bryon Mackie - Boxing - Athlete/Builder
Won two Canadian amateur boxing titles as well as national professional titles.  More impressive though is his work in creating a very successful local boxing team where none existed before and in his work with troubled youths.

Dr. George Campbell - Lacrosse – Athlete
As far as we can tell the only Orangeville resident to win an Olympic medal.  He was on the gold medal winning Canadian Lacrosse team at the 1908 Olympics in London, England. He is also a former Orangeville mayor

Induction Dinner 2006
The second annual Induction Dinner took place at 6:30 pm Friday, March 31, 2006 at Don Cherry's Restaurant, Alder Street Recreation Centre.

Our Guest Speaker for the event was Dr. Richard Pady, world class triathlete and owner of Healthy Results Fitness in Orangeville.

The event featured this year's Hall of Fame inductees selected in the categories of Athlete, Athlete/Builder or Builder.  The nomination and selection process commenced in January 2006 and nominations closed February 28th. 2006. 

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees 2006
The second group of inductees to the Orangeville Sports Hall of Fame as selected by the Community Committee for induction were as follows: 

The four inductees (l to r): Jamie Litt Mark McKendry (accepting for his sister, Michelle McKendry Ruthven), Bill Gillespie (accepting for his father, Doug Gillespie), Brian Rohmer (accepting for his father, Jack Rohmer)

Jack Rohmer - Builder
A long-time tireless worker in the sports of hockey and lacrosse as well as the founder of the Orangeville Figure Skating Club;

Michelle (McKendrey) Ruthven - Athlete - Skiing
8 world cup top ten finishes to go along with a 7^th place finish in the alpine combined at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary and a 6^th place finish in the same event in the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France;

 Doug Gillespie –Athlete - Hockey & Lacrosse
Considered by many to be Orangeville’s greatest athlete, he had a sure fire NHL career stopped by the Second World War.  Upon returning from the war Mr. Gillespie continued to win several provincial hockey and lacrosse championships as both a player and a coach;

Jamie Litt – Athlete - Hockey
Mr. Litt scored 613 points in a stellar junior hockey career and led Orangeville to its first Jr. C hockey title in 1989/90.

2007- Held at Alder Street Arena

Ross Martin – Builder - Cross Country Skiing/Gymnastics 2007
Ross started out his athletic career as a competitive middle distance runner and high jumper in high school and university before taking up softball, hockey and cross country skiing. During his time as a teacher at ODSS he coached gymnastics, volleyball, track, and cross country skiing. He shared his love of sport with others by founding both the Orangeville Gymnastics Club and the Mono Nordic Ski Club. He continues to remain active in cross country skiing by coaching elementary school age athletes at Mono Nordic.

Karen Pirie – Builder Hockey 2007
Karen was active in minor hockey and was also president of the Dufferin-Halton men’s non contact hockey league for 8 years. She was best known however for her 15 years volunteering with the Orangeville Crushers Jr. B and C hockey club where she went on to become the first female general manager of a junior hockey club in Ontario. During her tenure the team won 6 mid-Ontario Junior C Championships, were an all-Ontario finalist in 1990/91 and were all-Ontario champions in 1989/90. Karen was also instrumental in the return of Junior B Lacrosse to Orangeville.

Al Pilcher – Athlete Cross Country Skiing 2007
Al won numerous awards and competitions while competing as a student athlete at ODSS. He is most well known however for the time he spent competing on the world stage competing for Canada in the 1985, 1989, and 1991 World Championships. At the time of his induction his 7th place finish in the 50K Classic in 1989 was still the best ever by a Canadian male. He also went on to compete on the World’s biggest stage at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary and in 1992 in Albertville.

Ray Hunt – Builder Hockey 2007
At the time of his induction Ray Hunt had been involved with Orangeville Minor Hockey in one form or another for over 35 years. During that time Ray had touched the lives of literally thousands of the town’s youth as a coach, convener, ice scheduler as well as president of the organization for a number of years. Orangeville’s version of “Mr. Hockey” has received countless awards for his dedication to the community including a Paul Harris Award from the Rotary Club of Orangeville in 2003.

2008

Irwin Scott -Builder Hockey & Lacrosse
2008 Inductee
In recognition of Sporting excellence as a builder in the sports of hockey and lacrosse in particular for his tireless efforts as a coach and manager in both sports and for helping to found the Orangeville Stonecrushers in 1975 before going on to manage the team and for starting the Orangeville Stingers Junior C Lacrosse team also in 1975.

Lindsay Beavers -Athlete swimming
2008 Inductee
In recognition of Sporting excellence as an athlete in the sport of swimming in particular for winning a bronze medal at the Pan American games in Winnipeg in 1999 and for setting the Canadian record in the Women’s Short Course 800 Metres Freestyle.

Ches Cotton - Athlete & Builder Lacrosse
2008 Inductee
In recognition of Sporting excellence as an athlete and builder in the sport of lacrosse in particular as an athlete as a member of the 1955 Junior B team and for his efforts as a tireless builder in building minor lacrosse in Orangeville.

2009

Keith Beavers – Swimming                    Athlete

Keith represented Canada at the 2004 Olympics in Athens where he had a 12^th place finish in the 200m backstroke and a 16^th place finish in the 400m IM.  He also competed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing where he finished 9^th in the 400m IM and broke his own Canadian record with a 12^th place finish in the 200m backstroke.  He represented Canada at several other international competitions highlighted by a bronze medal in the 400m IM at the 2007 Pan American games and a bronze medal in the 200m backstroke at the 2002 Pan Pacific Championship.

Lisa Patterson – Cross Country Skiing        Athlet

In 1984 Lisa won an OFSAA senior championship while still a junior.  From 1985 to 1988 she won 4consecutive gold medals at the national championships as a member of the women’s 3 x 5km relay team.  In 1986 she was a Canadian junior champion in cross country skiing.  In 1989 she represented Canada at the World Nordic Ski Championships where she was a member of the 7^th place women’s relay team and finished 24^th in the individual event. 

Chris Sanderson – Lacrosse                  Athlete

Chris Sanderson was the goalie for the Minto Cup winning Orangeville Northmen in 1993 and 1995.  He was a two time all American while attending the University of Virginia reaching the NCAA Final Four on two occasions.  He represented Canada on the World stage on several occasions winning a silver medal with the under 19 field lacrosse team in 1992; silver medals with the senior team at the 1998 & 2002 World Championships before taking the gold in 2006.  He was named all world goaltender in the 2002 and 2006 World Championships.

 

Dan Stone – Hockey                        Builder
2009 Inductee

Dan Stone was the founder of the Orangeville Wolves Special Hockey team in 2000.  Under Dan’s leadership this team for developmentally challenged hockey players has grown to become one of the most successful in special hockey.   The team has become a model in Special Hockey with several new teams following the Wolves example.  Dan has also been a tireless fundraiser for the team which has allowed them to travel to every special hockey tournament during his tenure including to Albany NY, Washington DC, Virginia, and London, England as well as several in the GTA.

2010

Bob Noble – Athlete and Builder
Although his professional hockey and lacrosse playing careers were cut short by injury, Bob Noble left more than a lasting mark behind the bench. Splitting time coaching junior hockey for the Orangeville Crushers and Erin Shamrocks from 1984 to 2005, Noble led his teams to multiple provincial Junior C championships. However, his success was not just limited to hockey. Noble also steered Orangeville’s Senior B lacrosse team to the President’s Cup final in 1983 and then the Canadian title in 1984. A multi-sport athlete prior to his lengthy coaching tenures, Noble is considered one of the most influential coaches in Orangeville’s history.


Jeff Ellis – Athlete –
Jeff Ellis has been a winner everywhere he has competed. The multi-sport athlete won 17 Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Association (OFSAA) gold medals and two bronze medals while at Orangeville District Secondary School (ODSS), making him among the most decorated athletes in provincial high school sports history. He was also a highly successful track and field athlete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), failing to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics Games in Sydney, Australia by just 46 hundredths of a second. After returning to cross-country skiing shortly thereafter, Ellis fell just short in his bid to qualify for 2010 Winter Olympics.


Brad Bowden – Athlete –
One of the top sledge hockey players of his era, Brad Bowden was the first Paralympian to enter the Orangeville Sports Hall of Fame. At no point did Bowden ever let sacaral agenesis, a disability that affects development of the spine, stop him from achieving considerable success on the international stage. The ODSS Alumnae won gold at the 2006 Winter Paralympics Games in Torino, Italy after scoring the game-winning goal for Canada in the final. In addition, before joining Canada’s national sledge hockey team, Bowden was an influential member of Canada’s gold medal winning wheelchair basketball team at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece.