The Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame will be honouring the 2021 inductee class on Saturday, November 20 at the Halifax Convention Centre. Four athletes, one team and two builders will be celebrated for their outstanding contributions to Nova Scotia sport.

These inductees include two Olympians, two stand-out players from legendary teams, two beloved builders who both made a difference for athletes of different abilities, and one team that won an iconic Canadian championship.

The athletes who will be enshrined are Olympic paddler and three-time World Championship bronze medallist Richard Dalton; three-time Olympian and Commonwealth silver-medallist rower Todd Hallett; star pitcher and four-time National Senior Men’s Fastball medal-winner Robert Putnam; and, Two-time All-Canadian and CIAU basketball scoring and rebounding champion Ted Upshaw. The Hall will also welcome Mark Dacey’s 2004 Brier-winning curling team. In the builder category, Special Olympics coach, team manager and mission staff member Cathy Mason, along with Olympic and Paralympic sailing coach Brian Todd, will also be inducted.

Due to the unprecedented circumstances surrounding COVID-19, the Hall of Fame postponed Induction Night after announcing this class of inductees in Spring 2020, choosing to forego a virtual induction and wait until a ceremony befitting of the inductees could be delivered in person. The Hall is confident that, working with the Halifax Convention Centre, it can ensure a safe event that follows all public health guidelines.

Induction Night 2021 will be hosted by long-time event emcee, Hall of Fame CEO and CBC broadcaster Bruce Rainnie, and, thanks to an exciting partnership with Eastlink Community TV, the ceremony will again be broadcast live.

The event has a new start time of 8pm. Tickets are available for purchase online through Eventbrite and nsshf.com— $40 for adults, $10 for students, and children 12 and under are free.

Here is a closer look at the Nova Scotia sport heroes who make up the new class:

Athletes

Richard Dalton, Paddling, Cork, Ireland: Dalton made it to the podium at national and international sprint canoe events an impressive number of times. In a career spanning two decades, he won gold at the national senior men’s championships 24 times, and placed first on the World Cup circuit 9 times. A competitor at the 2004 Olympics and gold medallist at the 2011 Pan American Games, he represented Canada at the Senior World Championships nine times, bringing home three bronze medals.

Todd Hallett, Rowing, Shelburne: A champion in both the men’s single and double sculls rowing events, Hallett competed at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. He also won bronze at the 1991 Pan American Games, and expanded his rowing repertoire to bring home silver with the “Men’s Eight with Coxswain” team at the 1994 Commonwealth Rowing Championships. He represented Canada at the World Rowing Championships five times, and is a three-time recipient of the Sport Nova Scotia Outstanding Achievement Award.

Robert Putnam, Softball, Brookfield: Putnam was the winning pitcher (and scored a run) in the 1980 National Senior Men’s Fastball Championship game, helping the Brookfield Elks win a gold medal—the first ever for a team east of Ontario. He won eight NS Senior Fastball Championships, six of them consecutively, in a sixteen-year span. He also won four medals at the National Senior Men’s Fastball Championships—one gold, one silver and two bronze. A talented hockey player and golfer as well, he was named Nova Scotia Male Athlete of the Year in 1980.

Ted Upshaw, Basketball, Three Mile Plains: Inducted to the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame with the 1977 Acadia Axemen National Championship men’s basketball team, Upshaw is also an outstanding individual athlete. He still holds the record at Acadia for the most regular season points (1,563) and field goals (664). AUAA MVP in 1981, he was also a three-time AUAA All-Star, two-time All-Canadian, and led the CIAU in scoring AND rebounding in 1981 with 29.1 ppg and 10.2 rpg. He was a member of Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team program from 1976 to 1980.

Mark Dacey 2004 Brier Curling Team: The Mark Dacey team defeated Team Alberta 10-9 to win the Brier in 2004, with impressive three-point scores in both the 8th and 10th ends. The team went on to place third in the World Championships. Their Brier win also earned them berths in the 2004 Continental Cup, 2005 Strauss Canada Cup and the M&M Skins game. The team also finished second in the Brier in 2003 and third in 2006. Team Members: Mark Dacey (skip), Andrew Gibson (lead), Matt Harris (fifth), Rob Harris (second), Bruce Lohnes (third), and Peter Corkum (coach).

Builders

Cathy Mason, Special Olympics, Stellarton: Mason has been involved with Special Olympics for 28 years, beginning her involvement in 1992 and serving as the volunteer regional coordinator for Pictou county since 1996. She has been a mission staff member and team manager for Special Olympics Canada at five World Games events, and served in some capacity at ten National Games. In 2018 she was the Chef de Mission for Team NS at the Special Olympics National Summer Games, becoming the first non-staff member to fill this role. She has been the recipient of the Special Olympics Canada Jim Thompson Award and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Brian Todd, Sailing and Para-Sailing, Halifax: The head coach and technical director at Sail Nova Scotia from 1991 to 1999, Todd has coached athletes at 50 National Championships, 29 World Championships, 29 North American Championships, 2 Paralympic Games and 1 Olympic Games. He has also coached at the Canada Games and Pan American Games, and served as coach for the Canadian windsurfing team, and head coach for the Canadian Youth Sailing Team. A long-time member of the Sail Canada Learn to Sail Committee and current board member of the Para World Sailing Committee, Todd was recognized in 2004 when Sail NS created the Brian Todd Youth Sailor of the Year Award in his honour.

Contact:

Katie Tanner
Museum & Communications Coordinator
Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame
(902) 404-3343 [o] / 902-293-5380 [c] [email protected]

DENVER — The Selection Committee of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame voted six individuals — including Ed McCaffrey, Carol Callan and Chuck Williams — to be inducted at the 57th annual banquet, set for May 4 at the Hilton Denver City Center (1701 California St.).

Joining three-time Super Bowl-winning receiver McCaffrey, longtime USA Basketball women’s national team director Callan, and former University of Colorado and Denver East standout basketball player Williams as May inductees were high school athlete extraordinaire Darnell McDonald, key Colorado sports facilitator Roger Kinney, and boxer DaVarryl Williamson when the Class of 2022 was selected today. The Selection Committee will pick the 2021 Athletes of the Year at a January 2022 meeting as the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame recognizes collegiate, high school and Olympic/Pro athletes at the Hilton Denver City Center banquet.

Ed McCaffrey has been a fixture on the Colorado sports scene for most of the last quarter-century, first helping the Broncos win two Super Bowls in the late 1990s, then as a head coach at Valor Christian and now at the University of Northern Colorado.

McCaffrey played nine seasons for the Broncos (1995-2003) and 13 overall in the NFL. After winning one Super Bowl ring with the San Francisco 49ers, he earned two in Denver, including Super Bowl XXXIII, when he caught five passes for 72 yards. Overall for his NFL career, he had 565 receptions for 7,422 yards and 55 touchdowns, with 462 receptions, 6,200 yards and 46 TDs coming with the Broncos. He was selected a Pro Bowler in 1998 and was named to the Broncos 50th anniversary team.

After his playing career, McCaffrey has long run a summer football camp, coached Valor Christian to the 5A state high school title in 2018, then was named head coach at UNC in December 2019. Ed and Lisa McCaffrey’s four sons have all been football standouts, including Christian McCaffrey, a mainstay of the Carolina Panthers’ offense since 2017.

Carol Callan recently concluded her stellar 25-year run as women’s national team director, fittingly as the Americans won the gold medal at the Olympics in Tokyo. It was the seventh Olympic gold medal — to go along with five world championships — with Callan steering the ship. The gold-clinching 90-75 victory over Japan marked the 55th consecutive win in Olympic competition for the Americans.

Though Callan has stepped down as team director, she remains president of FIBA Americas. “She’s been the heart and soul of the women’s national team,” USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said. “She’s a selfless person with no ego. She’s been a great mentor and leader and example for women’s basketball. She has a great passion for it. She makes it so that the players just have to play and the coaches just have to coach and that’s where the selflessness comes in. That’s why she’s been so successful.”

Callan is a former girls basketball coach and athletic director at Fairview High School, leading the Knights to a state title as a coach. She’s also long served as an analyst on radio for University of Colorado women’s basketball.

Callan recently was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

Chuck Williams was a standout athlete in basketball, football and track at Denver East and helped the Angels win state titles in basketball (1964) and football (1963). He stayed in state to play basketball at CU, earning three letters (1965-68). As a Buff, he averaged 11.8 points and 4.3 rebounds, upping his norm to 18 points per game as a senior, when he earned All-Big Eight honorable mention honors.

Williams has been inducted into the Halls of Fame for CU athletics, the Colorado High School Activities Association and Denver East.

After being selected in the sixth round of the 1968 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers — but beginning his pro career in the ABA — Williams played eight seasons in the ABA/NBA, being named an ABA All-Star twice. He played — in separate stints — for both the Denver Rockets and the Nuggets. Overall for his pro career, Williams averaged 10.8 points and 4.5 assists per game.

Darnell McDonald is considered one of the top all-around high school athletes Colorado has ever produced. Competing in football and baseball, he led Cherry Creek to three consecutive state titles in both sports in the late 1990s.

In just three football seasons, McDonald rushed for 6,121 yards and scored 83 touchdown. On the diamond, he started for four years and hit .581 with 15 home runs as a junior and .606 with 10 homers as a senior, earning national baseball player of the year honors from Baseball America. Twice he was named the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame’s High School Athlete of the Year.

Faced with a tough decision on which sport to pursue after high school, McDonald passed on a football/baseball offer from the University of Texas, choosing to sign with the Baltimore Orioles organization. He ended up playing parts of seven seasons in the major leagues, hitting .250 with 20 home runs and 83 runs batted in in 331 games.

Roger Kinney was a pivotal player in bringing the 1990 NCAA basketball men’s Final Four to Denver’s McNichols Arena and also helped behind the scenes in efforts to lure a Major League Baseball franchise to Colorado.

Kinney led the Denver Organizing Committee from 1986-90, which led to the 1990 NCAA Final Four, two NCAA Regionals and the Mile High Classic being played in Denver.

Kinney went on to work for the Colorado Rockies in their early years (1990-2002) in community affairs, serving as executive director of the Colorado Rockies Foundation. He also was a key player in the effort to have the University of Colorado and Colorado State University square off in football in Denver.

As an athlete himself, Kinney played baseball at Denver East and CU, winning the 1955 Denver prep batting title with a .429 average.

DaVarryl Williamson didn’t formally taking up boxing until age 25 after playing football at Wayne State in Nebraska, but once he did get in the ring, she shined.

Williamson ended up winning 10 national titles and posting a 120-17-1 record, with 103 knockouts, in the amateur ranks. Twice he claimed a championship in National Golden Gloves (1996 and ’99) and he was the United States national heavyweight champion from 1996-98. He earned a silver medal at the 1998 Goodwill Games and was the first alternate for the U.S. Olympic boxing team in 1996. With a powerful right hand, he earned the nickname “Touch of Sleep.”

Williamson turned pro at age 32 and racked up a 27-8 record, with 23 knockouts. Williamson grew up in Washington D.C., but now resides in Aurora. He was the first heavyweight contender from the Denver area since Ron Lyle in the 1970s.

Tickets for the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Banquet are $200 each and Sponsor tables start at $2,500. For additional ticket and table information, please phone the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (www.coloradosports or  720-258-3535). The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame & Museum is located at Gate 1 on the west side of Empower Field at Mile High at 1701 Bryant Street in Denver.

Since its inception in 1965, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame has inducted 270 individuals prior to Tuesday’s selection meeting. The first class of inductees featured Earl “Dutch” Clark, Jack Dempsey and former Supreme Court Justice Byron “Whizzer” White. Alonzo Babers, Bob Gebhard, George Gwozdecky, Terry Miller, Erin Popovich and Lindsey Vonn were inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame last month.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Longsjo Middle School’s (Fitchburg, Mass.) Becky Colo has been named the Patriots Hall of Fame presented by Raytheon Technologies Massachusetts STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) Teacher of the Year. Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft announced Colo as the STEM Teacher of the Year today, and her school will receive $5,000 to be used for STEM education. Colo will also serve for one year on the governor’s STEM Council.

“Congratulations to Becky Colo,” Kraft said in his announcement. “She is doing outstanding work to inspire our next generation of STEM professionals. Congratulations to all the nominees and the other four finalists.”

“It’s a tremendous honor to receive this prestigious award,” Colo said. “I want to thank the Kraft family and Raytheon Technologies for their support of STEM programs and for teachers overall. To be selected a finalist was an honor, but I am thrilled to be named the Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year.”

Colo uses blended book studies to provide students an opportunity to describe and question the world around them. “Reading and discussing the books helps students to understand the changes that are taking place in our biosphere and the related cause and effects,” she said. “It also connected them to real life STEM professionals to help them develop a picture of what a scientist is beyond the image of a man in a white lab coat. The hands-on lab work we do in relation to the books provides them with a deeper understanding of the specific scientific concepts that are mentioned.”

Outside of her classroom, Colo runs a STEM Club that encompasses spatial skill games, 3D design and printing, virtual reality tour creation, a STEM book club, and various hands-on STEM activities. She also has offered JV Inventeam, MathCounts, and a Road to College as well as an after-school math league team open to all students. Additionally, Colo plans and runs an ecology-based trip to the White Mountains for sixth graders where students learn about the geographical history of New England, local ecosystems, conservation, and mountaineering. She also facilitates common planning time with colleagues to show examples and strategies that inspire more interest and engagement within their own classes.

“My students’ interests are what motivate me; so my classes are constantly changing and evolving as different students come along with different passions, curiosities, and questions,” Colo said. “When students learn to 3D print, code, create virtual reality tours, build a hydroponic garden or create stop-motion animation videos to show their learning, I’ve learned new skills along with them. My reason for teaching is to help my students find their own reasons for learning so their education can never be limited by my current knowledge or experience.”

When the Covid-19 pandemic shut down in-classroom learning in the spring of 2020, Colo sought to maintain connections and sent each of her students a box of STEM-related books and launched a virtual book club. Students shared reflections and made recommendations to each other. She also presented students with at-home engineering challenges requiring minimal materials to continue promote screen-free hands-on learning.

Colo was a finalist for the Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year award in 2019.

Moriah Illsley, The Hall’s Education Coordinator, congratulated Colo for being named the Patriots Hall of Fame presented by Raytheon Technologies Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year.

“Becky is such an inspiring teacher who has developed her own styles to motivate and teach STEM to her middle school students,” Illsley said. “Her use of blended book studies is an innovative way to reach students and allow them the freedom to discover. It also allowed her to quickly pivot when the pandemic abruptly halted in-class learning. She maintained critical connections while creating a STEM-related book club that allowed students to explore individual interests and share reflections with her and their classmates. Selecting the STEM Teacher of the Year is never and easy decision, but there is no doubt that Becky is deserving. On behalf of the selection committee, I want to congratulate her for this award.”

Colo was chosen from a group of five finalists. The other four teachers’ schools will each receive $1,000 for STEM education courtesy of Raytheon Technologies.

Those teachers are:

• Tammy Rumplik – Granger and James Clark Elementary School (Agawam)
• Jim Gorman – Nipmuc Regional High School (Upton)
• Ralph Saint Louis – Lowell High School
• Asha Von Ruden – Mount Everett Regional Middle and High School (Sheffield)

Hall Executive Director Bryan Morry thanked fellow selection committee members Allison Little and Keith Connors from the Department of Higher Education, Alexis Lian from the Executive Office of Education, Meto Raha from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Illsley for their work in selecting this year’s STEM Teacher of the Year.

“Each of these individuals has shown a tremendous commitment to honoring excellence in STEM education and recognizing and supporting some of the best educators in the state,” Morry said. “They commit a great deal of time and energy to this process, and we could not complete it without their efforts.”

ABOUT THE STEM TEACHER OF THE YEAR PROGRAM

The Patriots Hall of Fame launched the STEM Teacher of the Year program in October of 2012 when Robert Kraft announced the initiative at the Massachusetts STEM Summit, held that year at Gillette Stadium. Colo is the ninth recipient of the award. Kelly Powers from the Advanced Math & Science Academy Charter School was the inaugural winner in 2013. Other past winners include Doug Scott from Natick High School in 2014, Kerry Murphy from Oliver Ames High School in 2015, David Mangus from Brockton High School in 2016, Kathleen Malone from Derby Academy in Hingham in 2017, Erin Cronin from Revere High School in 2018, Amanda Hough from Mashpee Middle-High School in 2019, and Tori Cameron from the Gordon W. Mitchell School in East Bridgewater in 2020. The STEM Teacher of the Year award is part of the Patriots Hall of Fame’s education program, which offers students in grades 4-12 standards-based educational modules in a fun, entertaining setting. The Hall typically hosts more than 20,000 school field trip visitors annually.

ABOUT THE PATRIOTS HALL OF FAME PRESENTED BY RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES

Through a dazzling array of interactive multimedia exhibits and artifacts, The Patriots Hall of Fame showcases the tradition of the New England Patriots, explores the history of football in New England and promotes math and science education for thousands of schoolchildren each year. The Hall’s signature exhibit is the Super Bowl Experience. Visitors to the interactive exhibit can re-live each of the team’s Super Bowl championships, and view the Vince Lombardi Trophies and Super Bowl championship rings. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.PatriotsHallofFame.com, visit “The Patriots Hall of Fame” on Facebook or follow @TheHall on Twitter and Patriotshall on Instagram.

As historical storytellers, we believe that education leads to conversation, and conversation leads to change. Our new campaign, #WeWillDoBetter shares the stories of marginalized Hall of Famers to raise awareness about systemic racism in Canada. These stories highlight the Hall of Famer’s achievements while increasing awareness about the adversity they have and continue to face. We hope that by creating a platform to share BIPOC Hall of Famers’ stories, we will encourage all Canadians to do better.

The latest #WeWillDoBetter video brings you the story of Hall of Famer, CFL legend and former Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Norm “Normie” Kwong. The other seven Hall of Famers highlighted in this campaign to-date include Damon Allen, Dr. Phil Edwards, Ferguson “Fergie” Jenkins, Harry Jerome, Herb Carnegie, Michael “Pinball” Clemons and Willie O’Ree. Click here to view all of our #WeWillDoBetter videos.

From May 1 to May 31, the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame (NSSHF) held its second annual Victory Lap virtual fun run. This year all proceeds raised supported the NSSHF’s Future Hall of Famers Education Program.

Victory Lap is a virtual event that offers participation by donation (pay-what-you-can). Participants can run or walk (or roll for wheelchair athlete participants) to complete kms, with the goal of collectively accumulating enough kms to go all the way around Nova Scotia as many times as possible– the ultimate victory lap! The event is open to all ages and fitness levels, and, as a virtual event, welcomes participants from anywhere in the world. Participants log their own progress and the NSSHF provides daily updates on maps shared through email and social media. Victory Lap is a virtual route of 2,485 kms around Nova Scotia that is based on an actual set of walking routes mapped on Google Maps.

This year the NSSHF was very pleased to raise over $1,000 for its education program. During a provincial lockdown due to COVID restrictions, participants moved together while apart, achieving two and a half laps of the province (and more than 6,000 kms) in only four weeks!

https://nsshf.com/victory-lap-virtual-fun-run/

The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (SSHF) announced its 2021 Induction Class on May 20. The class features five athletes, a builder and two teams. All six individual athletes were Olympians.

The2021 inductees are:

IN THE ATHLETE CATEGORY:

Justin Abdou (Moose Jaw) – Wrestling

Rod Boll (Fillmore) – Trapshooting

Colette Bourgonje (Porcupine Plain) – Track and Cross-Country Skiing

Kaylyn Kyle (Saskatoon) – Soccer

Lyndon Rush (Humboldt) – Bobsleigh

IN THE BUILDER CATEGORY:

Shannon Miller (Tisdale) – Hockey

IN THE TEAM CATEGORY:

2000-01 University of Regina Cougars Women’s Basketball Team

2013 Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Club

This class was selected in 2020, however, their induction was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They will be officially enshrined at such a time that is appropriate and allows for safe communal gathering while following all provincial health guidelines. The SSHF Board has determined that there will not be an induction in 2021. We look forward to announcing an induction date when the above parameters are met.

In the meantime, Colette Bourgonje has joined inductees Ted Jaleta and Lisa Franks to take part in our Never Give Up outreach program. Delivered virtually for 2021, Never Give Up sees our inductees share their inspiring personal story of overcoming adversity with Grades 4-8 students. This year’s edition of the program saw all of our available spots fill in less than two days.

The SSHF currently offers three virtual tours and our Virtual Field Trip program allows our Education Coordinator to present a tour of our current exhibits through online streaming which has allowed students from across the province to experience the SSHF.