Ottawa, Ontario - Volleyball Canada (VC) inducted four individuals and one
team into the VC Hall of Fame this past weekend at the Association's
annual awards and recognition banquet held in conjunction with VC's AGM.
The banquet theme "A Celebration of Excellence" set the stage for the
induction evening, which also included the recognition of a number of
annual award winners for their contribution to the sport.
In the Hall of Fame athlete category, Mary Macdonald of British Columbia
became the first woman honored with induction into the Hall. During the
late 50's and 60's Mary's strength and tenacity changed the way women were
playing the sport of volleyball and gained her the nickname of the "Big
Spiker". She garnered seven National Championship titles, and was either
named to the All-Star team, or tournament MVP in each one. Mary went on to
coach volleyball as a high school teacher for over 35 years - she has in
fact mentored and coached some of the top female athletes ever to play the
game, some of whom will undoubtedly join her in the prestige of becoming a
Hall of Famer. A true pioneer of the sport, Mary Macdonald takes her place
in the history of Canadian volleyball.
Also in the athlete category, Allan Spencer Coulter of Calgary,
ex-national team athlete and captain, was recognized for his outstanding
contribution to the sport of volleyball. Al holds the record for the
longest competitive career on record for Team Canada. He in fact
represented Canada for thirteen years on the national team. He currently
holds the world record for the most international matches played by a
national volleyball athlete (735 matches) - a feat doubtful to be matched
by any other volleyball athlete. Despite standing only 6'3 Al competed
successfully as one of the smallest middle blockers in the world. His
unconventional and extremely quick arm swing gained him international
recognition, and respect. The only volleyballer to have been inducted into
the Alberta Sport Hall of Fame, Al now joins only three other athletes in
the Volleyball Canada Hall of Fame.
Charles Cardinal of Montreal has impacted the development of the sport of
volleyball like few before him. During his induction into the Builder
category of the Hall of Fame, Charles spoke of his passion for the sport,
a passion that has burned brightly for over three decades. A co-founder of
the FVBQ in 1967, Charles' career in the sport has included stints as;
Technical Director of the FVBQ, the national men's team coach, Chairperson
of both the VC Domestic Committee and National Team Committee, FIVB course
conductor, and author of over 90 volleyball specific articles, books, and
manuals. His obvious dedication and commitment to the development of the
sport is unprecedented, and there is no one more worthy of induction into
the Hall of Fame builder category than he. Charles joins the elite ranks
of Anton Furlani, and Vic Lindal in this prestigious honor.
As one of two of the first internationally certified referees in Canada,
there is not much in the world of refereeing that Edward Toews has not
done. His accomplishments as an official span 35 years, and include having
been appointed to blow the whistle at every major international and
national competition there is. From the World Championship in Mexico City
in 1974, to the Olympic Games in Seoul Korea in 1984, his international
credentials are virtually unmatched by any other Canadian referee. He has
taken the stand at every Pan Am competition held since 1967, (with the
exception of the 1999 games), and has not missed a national championship
event from that time until present day. Ed has been cited as the mentor
for dozens of national and international referees from across the country,
and his induction into the Referee Hall of Fame marks only the second
individual to be so inducted.
The final induction of the evening was the 1979 national men's team for
their bronze medal performance at the Pan American Games held in San Juan,
Puerto Rico. Coached by Ken Maeda of Japan the team of Richard Bacon, Dean
Hitchcock, Mark Kolodzeij, Charles Parkinson, Stelio DeRocco, Tom Jones,
Al Kostiuk, Don Saxton, Paul Gratton, Stephane Joseph, Richard Macdonald,
and Al Taylor became the second team to be so inducted. Accepting on
behalf of the team was Stelio DeRocco, current Head Coach of the national
men's team and a member of the squad that won one of Canada's first medals
at the international level.
Also recognized during the "Celebration of Excellence" evening were a
number of annual award winners. Jim Schreyer, of St.Andrews, Manitoba was
recognized as the Year 2000 Coach of the Year. Jim lead his club team, the
Bisons, to the Junior National Championship title in 2000, and also
coached the University of Manitoba Bisons to the CIAU national
championship title in that same year. 2000 also proved a pretty special
year for Darryl Friesen, of Winnipeg, MB, Volleyball Canada's Referee of
the Year. Darryl was the only official invited to participate in the
Sydney Olympic Games, and the first beach referee to ever officiate at the
Olympic level. Also a participant in Sydney, John Przybyszewski of Toronto
was recognized as the Contributor of the Year for 2000. A Paralympic
silver medalist, John was instrumental in not only his team's athletic
performance, but also managed to develop a substantial sponsor and
supplier pool that assisted the team in their training and competition
leading up to, and including the games.
As the final component of the evening, a number of special recognition
awards were presented. Wayne Hellquist of Saskatchewan (VC COA Director),
Dave Rudell of Ontario (VC Beach Committee Chair), and Raymond Côté of
Quebec (VC Board of Directors) were all recognized for their long-term
contribution to Volleyball Canada.
In a special post-humus recognition, Dan Gallagher, who played a key role
in the national beach tour over the past few years as host, was
commemorated for his outstanding contribution to the promotion and
development of the sport of beach volleyball. A musician, VJ, DJ, actor
and broadcaster, Dan lent his years of experience in the entertainment
industry to the sport of beach and along with his contagious enthusiasm
and out-of-the-box thinking managed to impact the sport like few had done
before him. Dan passed away January 20th, 2001 and is greatly missed by
all those in the volleyball community that had a chance to work with him.
For more information on the Awards & Recognition program please contact:
Michelle van Vliet, Volleyball Canada,
(613)748-5681 x 224 /e-mail: mvv@volleyball.ca
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