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]