‘He used, I guess you’d say, colourful language and was pretty stern … we loved to play for him,’ said Mel St. Onge, who led effort to have diamond named in honour of Helioti.

Orillia has lost a legend.

Dean Heliotis, “one of Orillia’s great sportsmen,” died on Nov. 23. He was 90 years old.

Heliotis, a self-described “serviceable” baseball player who also played basketball and football, became a renowned baseball coach, whose name will forever be linked with Grant ‘Gander’ Ross.

Heliotis capped his playing days by helping the Orillia Majors win an Ontario Baseball Association (OBA) championship in 1964.

But he knew it was time to hang up his cleats after that title win, which served as a fitting end to more than two decades of playing for Orillia’s top team.

He told The Packet & Times in a feature interview in 2013 that he had no intention of coaching — until he got a call from Ross, his old teammate and long-time friend.

“Harv Reading decided to retire as manager of the Majors after 1964,” Heliotis told The Packet. “He wanted to hand the reins over to Gander. So, Gander gave me a call and asked me if I would give him a hand.”

And, so began a coaching partnership that lasted several decades, led to numerous titles and helped shaped generations of young baseball players.

While there were many challenges and highlights along the way, Heliotis always said one moment stands out above all others.

That moment began in auspicious fashion as, just weeks before the 1969 season, the Majors fired Heliotis and Ross.

“I remember me and Gander went to the sauna at the YMCA,” Heliotis recalled to The Packet. “I said, ‘Well, I guess we have the summer off.”

But it was not to be. Nels Dunlop, who was heading up Orillia’s junior team, called and asked if the dynamic duo would take over the floundering club. In 1968, the team had won just three games and finished dead last.

“When Gander called and asked me what I thought, I wasn’t too sure,” said Heliotis. “He said, ‘Let’s give it a whirl.’”

It was a good call. The two stern taskmasters turned the team upside down, put a structure in place, injected discipline and created in that group of mostly selfish teenagers a firm commitment to a team-first approach.

“We were a bunch of ball players who didn’t know how to win,” recalled Mel St. Onge, a key pitcher for that squad. “Dean and Gander were so organized. I think the key was they gave us structure. We respected them big-time; they were unbelievable mentors who taught us how to win.”

With Jerry Udell, Doug Roe, Brock Richardson, St. Onge and others, the juniors dominated.

As fate would have it, the juniors met the Majors that year for the league championship in a series that captured the imagination of Orillians young and old.

It took seven breathtaking games, but the juniors shocked the mighty Majors, winning the title in front of more than 2,400 fans who jammed into the fabled Lions Oval to watch the seventh and deciding game that Thanksgiving weekend.

“That was my biggest thrill in baseball,” Heliotis told The Packet. “It was sweeter than winning the OBAs as a player because I had a bigger role. Those boys played so hard.”

That magical triumph served as a launching pad to more than four decades of coaching for Heliotis — at various levels. He was revered by many, feared by some and respected by all whom he coached.

“There were times when I wanted to kill him,” laughed St. Onge, reflecting on gruelling workouts and the coach’s merciless approach.

“He was hard on you. And he made you do things until you got them right. He used, I guess you’d say, colourful language and was pretty stern. Some people didn’t like that, but we loved it. He taught us to be pitchers, not throwers. We loved to play for him,” said St. Onge.

Heliotis made no apologies for his approach and he never wavered in it. It was, he would say, why his teams were successful, helping the 1970 juniors, the 1992 bantams and the 1996 Fenelon Falls peewees to Ontario crowns.

As a testament to his decades-long coaching career, a ball diamond at McKinnell Park was named in his honour in 1998; another diamond was named in honour of Gander Ross.

“Mel St. Onge spearheaded that and I remember my wife saying to me that she couldn’t believe he did that for me because I was pretty hard on him,” Heliotis told The Packet. “It was quite an honour.”

On social media, news of his death has spawned some fond memories.

Local historian Marcel Rousseau called Heliotis “one of Orillia’s great sportsmen,” saying “Dean will be remembered by many Orillians as a great coach and player.”

Ted Williams, now chief of Rama First Nation, shared his memories of being coached by Heliotis and of spending time with him at the downtown pool hall he owned.

“He was a great man who influenced many in sports including me,” said Williams.

Heliotis would likely not have liked the kind words. He always gave credit for wins and titles to his players.

But, when pressed, he said: “I guess it’s a little bit of knowledge, dedication, a never give-up attitude, an ability to recognize talent. I just the love the game and I love to be around it.”

For Heliotis, baseball was a big part of his life, but his family always came first. He and his wife, Christine, celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary this past June. He was proud of his children, Potoula, Louis (wife Angela) and Tom (wife Andrea) and his five grandkids.

Outside of baseball, Heliotis had an interesting and varied career. He was an electronics technician at Orillia Water Light and Power for more than a decade before technology advances made the job obsolete.

In the mid 1960s, he operated Dino’s Rack and Roll, a popular downtown pool hall just east of what is now Brewery Bay Food Co. Following that, he sold life insurance for Prudential before retiring.

Visitation will be held at the Mundell Funeral Home, 79 West St. N., Orillia on Tuesday, Nov. 28 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

A service will be held at the Holy Cross St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church, 572 Penetanguishene Rd. in Barrie on Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. Heliotis, who was very proud of his Greek heritage, was a founding member of Holy Cross, where he served on the board for many years.

Original Article By: Dave Dawson
Site: Orillia Matters
Date: Nov. 26, 2023
Link to Original: Link to Orillia Matters
Photo:  OrilliaMatters File Photo

Dean Heliotis passed away peacefully on November 23^rd just shy of his 91^st Birthday. He was the beloved husband of Christine (Sarantos) Heliotis who survives him and with whom he celebrated their 62^nd wedding anniversary this past June. Loving Father of Potoula, Louis (wife Angela) and Tom (wife Andrea). Cherished Grandfather of Vivian, Dean, Christina, Dani and Nate.

Born in Washington D.C., December 19, 1932, son of the late Louis and the late Bertha (Diacoumakos) Heliotis. He attended the Pallicary-Vedova Greek School in Tarrytown New York, Orillia District Collegiate, Upper Canada College and Ryerson University where he graduated in Electronics Engineering.

Dean enjoyed several careers that included being a technologist at Orillia Water Light and Power, proprietor of Dino’s Rack and Roll and as a salesman for Prudential Insurance.

Dean was an accomplished athlete in his time and enjoyed track and field as well as playing baseball, basketball and football. He played baseball in Orillia winning the OBA Championship in 1964 with the Orillia Majors. After the 1964 season, Dean joined his long time friend and team mate Gander Ross and they began their coaching careers taking over the Majors club. He continued coaching until his 70’s eventually winning 3 more OBA titles. One of his biggest thrills in which he always had time to talk about was the 1970 Orillia Juniors team who an OBA title.

In 1998 Dean and coaching mate Gander Ross were both honoured by having a baseball diamond at McKinnell Square Park named after them.

Dean was also very proud of his Greek heritage and was a founding member of Holy Cross St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church where he served on the board for many years. He loved spending time with his family, grandkids and friends. There was never a shortage of great stories and laughs when Dean got together with them.

Visitation will be held at the Mundell Funeral Home, 79 West St. N., Orillia on Tuesday, November 28^th from 6pm – 8pm

Then to the Holy Cross St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church, 572 Penetanguishene Road, Barrie Ontario on Wednesday morning, November 29^th from 9 a.m. until time of Funeral Service at 10 a.m.  Interment to follow.

In lieu of flowers donations to Holy Cross St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church would be greatly appreciated. This can be done at the funeral home or by visiting https://www.stnektariosbarrie.com and clicking on donate.

Original Article By:
Site: Orillia Matters
Date: Nov. 25, 2023
Link to Original: Link to Orillia Matters
Photo: Supplied Photo

‘I don’t do this for any recognition. I do it to see the athletes excel and work toward their goals,’ says Sutherland, a former Orillia Athlete of the Year.

Orillia’s Toben Sutherland has been recognized by the Canadian Association of Coaches with an Excellence in Coaching Award presented by Petro-Canada.

Sutherland, 47, received the award for coaching Parry Sound native Megan Oldham to a silver medal in slopestyle and bronze in the “big air” event at the 2023 World Championships in Georgia last February.

Sutherland has now won the Excellence in Coaching Award four times during his career.

“I don’t do this for any recognition,” he said. “I do it to see the athletes excel and work toward their goals.”

Sutherland, however, says winning the award means a lot to him because it gives recognition to the sport.

“It gives me validation to see that the program that we have been running is working,” he said. “We will continue to take risks to push the sport in the right direction.”

Sutherland, a Twin Lakes Secondary School graduate, started skiing when he was nine years old. He turned competitive with free skiing when he was 12 and has never looked back. He was named Orillia’s Athlete of the Year in 1992.

In 1997, Sutherland won the Crystal Globe, a world championship title. He won three World Cup events while competing on the international circuit from 1993 until 1999 before transitioning to coaching in 2000 because of injury concerns.

“I found myself at a place where I was making a living coaching and enjoying working with the athletes,” he explained. “I found when I was working with a group of athletes it was much more rewarding to see the team and each individual athlete within it focus and work toward their common goals.”

Sutherland says it’s more fulfilling to him as a coach when one of his athletes wins than it was for him when he won as a competitor.

“It’s been my goal for the last couple of decades to build a group of athletes who can be competitive on the world stage on any given day,” he said. “That’s where my focus has laid for the better part of my career.”

In 1997, Sutherland won the Crystal Globe, a world championship title. He won three World Cup events while competing on the international circuit from 1993 until 1999 before transitioning to coaching in 2000 because of injury concerns.

“I found myself at a place where I was making a living coaching and enjoying working with the athletes,” he explained. “I found when I was working with a group of athletes it was much more rewarding to see the team and each individual athlete within it focus and work toward their common goals.”

Sutherland says it’s more fulfilling to him as a coach when one of his athletes wins than it was for him when he won as a competitor.

“It’s been my goal for the last couple of decades to build a group of athletes who can be competitive on the world stage on any given day,” he said. “That’s where my focus has laid for the better part of my career.”

Already looking ahead to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Sutherland is hoping to take eight athletes to Italy who can land on the podium.

“We want to come out with as many medals as possible,” he said. “We won two medals in 2014, one in 2018, and unfortunately we came up short in 2022.”

Sutherland says he is seeking redemption at the next Olympic Games for the lack of success in 2022 in Beijing.

Sutherland thanks the Orillia community for their support of him over the years.

“I’ve had a ton of support growing up in the area,” he said. “I really appreciate all of the recognition that comes with it.”

Sutherland says he will be visiting Orillia in December to donate his most recent Excellence in Coaching Award to be displayed in the Orillia Sports Hall of Fame at the Orillia Recreation Centre.

Original Article By: Tyler Evens
Site: Orillia Matters
Date: Nov. 21, 2023
Link to Original: Link to Orillia Matters
Photo: Supplied Photo

“One of our primary mandates is to recognize those from our past who have helped put this city on the map”, said official, noting teams are eligible for the hall this year.

In less than a decade, the Orillia Sports Hall of Fame has become a much-hoped-for destination for the city’s top athletes and builders.

Since the first class of inductees in 2015, some of Orillia’s finest citizens have joined the hall.

This year, for the first time, teams can be nominated for recognition within the shrine.

“We are excited to introduce the team category this year,” said Roy Micks, chair of Sport Orillia, the local organization that oversees Orillia’s Sports Hall of Fame.

He said Sport Orillia volunteers have worked hard to develop criteria that would allow the Hall of Fame selection committee to judge teams worthy of induction.

According to that criteria, any sport where two or more individuals compete would be eligible for this honour.

“As a minimum level of achievement, teams must have won a provincial championship that led to their participation in a national championship,” explained Micks, adding teams must have completed their participation in their sport for at least three years prior to the nomination.

Of course, nominees are also welcome in the athlete and builder categories.

“The selection criteria is pretty stringent but that’s what makes being inducted into the Orillia Sports Hall of Fame meaningful,” Micks said.

For example, athletes must have performed at a high level, represented Orillia with honour and must have concluded their careers at least three years prior to being nominated or have reached the age of 50.

Builders may include officials, sponsors, executives, trainers, owners, coaches, etc. whose work over an extended period has been outstanding in providing a consistently high level of contribution to the sports community.

Micks said it’s important to recognize the sporting accomplishments that have helped define the community.

“One of our primary mandates is to recognize those from our past who have helped put this city on the map,” said Micks.

It’s easy to nominate an athlete, team or builder. Just visit the website and navigate to the Hall of Fame section. Click here to fill out the nomination form for teams. Click here for the nomination form for athletes. Click here for the builders nomination form.

The deadline for nominations is Jan. 5, 2024 at 5:30 p.m.

Original Article By: Dave Dawson
Site: Orillia Matters
Date: Nov. 14, 2023
Link to Original: Link to Orillia Matters
Photo: Tyler Evans / OrilliaMatters File Photo

Two elite athletes and a legendary community builder were inducted into the Orillia Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night.

Long-time junior, minor, and AAA hockey volunteer, Dave Dunn, headlined the class of 2023 in the builder category.

“This is an honour that I did not expect,” Dunn told a packed audience at Hawk Ridge Golf Club. “I just like to do the work in the background for whichever organization it may be that I’m with.”

Dunn first got involved in minor hockey back in 1982 when he served as the bench boss for his son’s team. Shortly after, he decided to serve Orillia Minor Hockey as vice president. He would go on to be a part of the executive of several local junior teams and continues to help with the Jr. C Terriers.

“Some of the best people I’ve known have been because of hockey,” he said. “They truly came to give their time for their kids and their love of the game.”

Dunn says he is proud to have helped players who went on to play in the NHL. He is also proud of the players who went on to have life success after hockey, achieving scholarships, and going on to having successful careers as business people, police officers, and educators.

“Whenever I run into former players and coaches and we are able to catch up and talk about the old days, that is truly my reward in all of this,” he said. “It has always been about the kids and helping them chase their dreams, whether it be in hockey or not, it’s just one more stepping stone to the future.”

John French, one of Orillia’s top hockey players of all time, won Orillia Minor Hockey’s Doc McKinnon Memorial Trophy for his ability, leadership, and sportsmanship as a youth. French says his parents, Clayt and Leslie, played the biggest role in the success of his career.

“They supported our entire family when it came to sports,” he recalled. “They both were excellent athletes in their own right.”

French remembers during the winter months as a youth, his father would be out making a rink for him and his siblings Allen, Jim, Tim, and Joanne to practise on.

“I remember mom and dad would get up every weekend at six or seven in the morning to drive one of us to the rink for a hockey or ball game,” he recalled. “They were always there to support all of us children.”

French says competitiveness was instilled in him at a young age. His mother was his first hockey coach, and possibly the first female hockey coach in Orillia and maybe even Ontario, he noted.

French recalls a time when he was playing in a beginners league, and his mom would give him extra playing time when their team matched up against the team his dad was coaching.

“I’d come off the ice and sit on the bench for my next turn to go out,” he said. “Without anyone knowing it mom would move me up on the bench so I would get on the ice more often. This only happened when mom’s team played dad’s team.”

After two years with the Toronto Marlboros, French was drafted 52nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1969-70 NHL draft. He played two seasons in the AHL before going on to a successful career in the WHA.

“There are a lot of people who helped me throughout my sports career,” he said. “I would not be standing today if it wasn’t for them. They know who they are, and I thank them.”

French recorded 300 points in 420 professional games. In 1972-73, he skated alongside his childhood friend from Orillia, Rick Ley, playing for the New England Whalers. That year, the Whalers won the Avco Cup and French led the team in scoring. Ley was inducted into the Orillia Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

Olympic field hockey player Alan Brahmst had a successful career on and off the field. In 1999, Brahmst led Canada to the gold medal at the Pan American Games. He would represent Canada again in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics.

Brahmst grew up in Hamburg, Germany, before moving to Orillia as a teenager where he played multiple sports at Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute, where he played multiple sports.

“This was a super welcoming town,” he recalled.

While he enjoyed trying new sports, he missed playing field hockey, which he had played for years in Germany. Brahmst credits his gym teacher, Daryl McKenzie, for helping him connect with Field Hockey Ontario, helping him pursue his childhood passion for field hockey.

“He got the number for Ontario Field Hockey and had me playing again a year and a half after I came to Orillia,” said Brahmst, who travelled to Toronto most weekends to chase his dream.

Brahmst was a key member of one of the first ever junior national Canadian field hockey teams, and then the first-ever national team. He represented Canada at four Olympic Games and multiple World Cups as a player and a coach.

“I’m really grateful about all the good things Orillia has given me,” he said. “I’m humbled that I’m inducted with these guys.”

There are now 30 inductees in the Orillia Sports Hall of Fame.

Original Article By: Tyler Evans
Site: Orillia Matters
Date: May 14, 2023
Link to Original: Link to Orillia Matters

A former Olympian, a high-scoring World Hockey Association (WHA) star and a passionate longtime local volunteer will be inducted into the Orillia Sports Hall of Fame later this year.

Alan Brahmst, John French and Dave Dunn will enter the city’s sports shrine at a gala dinner to be held May 13 at the Hawk Ridge Golf and Country Club.

Brahmst is one of Canada’s most decorated field hockey players and coaches. After he moved to Orillia from Germany as a youth, he travelled weekly — for years — to Toronto to chase his dreams.

He climbed the ranks quickly, making first the Junior National Team and then the National Team. As a player and coach, he represented Canada at four Olympic Games and multiple World Cups.

Brahmst “was a key leader and outstanding athlete in a golden generation of Canadian field hockey players,” said Susan Ahrens, the CEO of Field Hockey Canada, who wrote a letter supporting his nomination to Orillia’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Brahmst, in 1999, helped Canada win gold at the Pan American Games “to put his name in the history books,” said Ahrens, adding the talented athlete also played for Team Canada at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

He continues to pursue his passion; he is the high performance director for both Field Hockey Canada and Archery Canada.

John French started playing hockey not long after he learned to walk and was one of the top players in Orillia, where he helped his team win a squirt title in 1961.
A year later, he won Orillia Minor Hockey’s Doc McKinnon Memorial Trophy for his ability, leadership and sportsmanship.

He would earn the MVP award at the Don Mills major midget tournament, where he caught the eyes of pro scouts and was drafted 52nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1969-70 draft.

After two years with the Toronto Marlboros, he played two seasons in the AHL before going on to a stellar career in the WHA. He amassed 300 points in 420 games, having his best years with the New England Whalers, where he helped the squad win the Avco Cup in 1972-73 and led the team in scoring in 1973-74.

“John French is one of the best hockey players to ever come out of Orillia,” said Mel St. Onge, a member of the selection committee.

Dave Dunn is synonymous with hockey in Orillia and has been a dedicated volunteer at various levels for more than four decades. He is being inducted in the builder’s category.

Dunn started coaching his son’s team and then joined the Orillia Minor Hockey Association executive, where he served in various capacities — including president in the late 1980s.

He then volunteered with the city’s junior hockey teams in its various iterations — the Orillia Laidlaws, the Orillia Terriers and the Couchiching Terriers — serving in roles from president to OMHA delegate. He was a familiar face at local rinks during those years.

“He would spend game nights doing anything from loading beer for the booster club, to organizing and selling 50/50 tickets, making sure the refs got paid and was security when fights broke out in the stands,” said Roger Crandell, who nominated Dunn.

“Junior hockey wouldn’t happen without guys like (Dunn),” said Bill Smith, who owned the junior team for many years. “He was always there and always did whatever needed to be done.”

Dunn went on to volunteer for the North Central Predators AAA hockey program and continues to lend a hand when needed.

This will be the eighth class of inductees since a grassroots volunteer group — the Orillia Sports Council — started the Hall of Fame in 2015. Past inductees are honoured in the Hall of Fame Lounge at the Orillia Recreation Centre.

The new honourees will be officially inducted at the 2023 Orillia Sports Hall of Fame Gala, which will be held May 13 at Hawk Ridge Golf and Country Club.

Original Article By: Orillia Matters Staff
Site: Orillia Matters
Date: March 6, 2023
Link to Original: Link to Orillia Matters

Colby Barlow, one of the top prospects in junior hockey in Canada, has been named Orillia’s Athlete of the Year for 2022.

The captain of the Owen Sound Attack, Barlow, has 36 goals in 45 games, which ranks him second in the Ontario Hockey League in goal scoring.

On Thursday night he was honoured at the Orillia Recreation Centre’s Sports Hall of Fame Lounge by friends, family members, local dignitaries and community members.

Barlow says it’s “a massive honour” to win the award that has been granted by the city since 1952.

“There are a lot of well-known names on this trophy and a lot of great people of this community,” he told OrilliaMatters after the presentation. “It’s definitely an honour to be a part of that.”

Barlow, who was born and raised in Orillia, played minor hockey in Orillia and then graduated to the region’s ‘AAA’ program, where he played with the North Central Predators. He says he didn’t expect to be honoured by his hometown with such an award this early into his hockey career.

“If you told me this was going to happen five months ago, I wouldn’t have believed it,” he said. “I didn’t even expect to be a part of the conversation, but I got the call this week and it became real.”

Barlow says he was thankful to see the large turnout of community members at the award announcement on Thursday evening.

“Everyone who showed up tonight has supported me since day one,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here today without this support.”

On hand to watch their son accept the coveted award were Barlow’s father, Dean, and mother, Carla.

“It’s such an honour to have Colby be recognized by the Orillia community,” Carla said.

“Being from Orillia and growing up here, this is a bit surreal,” Dean added.

Orillia Sport Council president Roy Micks says Barlow is “very deserving” of being named Orillia’s Athlete of the Year, noting he represented Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this past summer.

“He’s had an incredible year,” he said. “We have never had anybody at that level represent their country from the Orillia area.”

Barlow, who was named the youngest captain in Owen Sound Attack team history at age 17, has a bright future, Micks says.

“Everything you see and hear about him is that he’s a positive influence on his teammates, community, and school,” he said. “He comes back here and is always willing to help. He’s just a good kid.”

Micks says Barlow’s accomplishments are inspiring to Orillia’s youth.

“He’s showing young kids who play the sport to always work towards their dreams, goals, and aspirations,” he said. “It shows that they have the opportunity to do it too.”

Barlow says it’s a special feeling to have youth from his hometown looking up to him. He hopes his accomplishments continue to inspire youth to follow their dreams.

“I want to be a role model for the kids,” he said. “Hopefully I can help those kids when our paths cross.”

This year, the responsibility for choosing the recipient of the prestigious Athlete of the Year award was transferred from the city to the Orillia Sport Council.

“By promoting the award a little bit, we had 11 excellent nominees,” Micks says. “I think that was all positive and there are some great Orillia athletes in the area.”

While overseeing Orillia’s Athlete of the Year award was a one-year pilot, Micks says he hopes the volunteer sport council is once again given the opportunity to look after it again in 2023.

“The Orillia Sport Council is made up of individuals who have been involved in the community from a volunteer basis to an athlete basis for the course of the last 35 to 50 years,” he said. We have a wide spectrum of people on the committee.”

Original Article By: Tyler Evans
Site: Orillia Matters
Date: Feb. 9, 2023
Link to Original: Link to Orillia Matters

‘Nobody ever becomes a champion on their own,’ said Mark Shivers who was inducted alongside Nelson Dunlop, Bill Smith, Joanne Stanga, Wayne Dowswell, Bill Watters, and Dave Town.

Iconic builders, legendary pioneers, and exceptional athletes were inducted into the Orillia Sports Hall of Fame Saturday night.

Former Orillia Athlete of the Year Mark Shivers headlined the class of 2021. He was inducted alongside builders Nelson Dunlop, Bill Smith, and Joanne Stanga who were instrumental, respectively, in growing baseball, lacrosse, and hockey in Orillia over many decades.

Shivers, who got his swimming start with the Orillia Channel Cats, went on to become an elite swimmer throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002, Shivers became a national champion in the 50 butterfly.

Shivers credited support from his family, saying his older brother, Todd, was his first swim teacher at the family home along the shores of the Narrows in Atherley.

“You then became my biggest supporter and biggest fan during the prime of my sport,” Shivers, fighting back emotions, said to his brother. “You ignited the competitive fire in me at a young age, and you still know to this day as to when that fire needs a little stoking.”

Shivers attributed his success to growing up in Orillia where he had plenty of great coaches and supporters.

“Nobody ever becomes a champion on their own,” he said. “I was so lucky to have great coaches throughout my athletic career.”

Nels Dunlop dedicated his life to baseball in Orillia as a coach, umpire, and manager. Dunlop was a pioneer in building the foundation for Orillia Legion Minor Baseball and created the house league program in the mid-1950s. Speaking on behalf of his late father was Dunlop’s son, Mick.

“He had simple philosophies,” he said. “He taught people to learn to believe in themselves.”

Dunlop says his father coached a lot of average players throughout the years but got the best out of each one of them.

“The sport maybe would have survived without him, but he went for decades,” he said. “He just loved the game of baseball.”

Bill Smith purchased the Orillia Travelways in 1979 and elevated the team to Tier 2 junior hockey. The team won the Centennial Cup in 1985 and was a perennial contender during his tenure as owner. Smith was also a part of the ownership group of the Toronto Rock that won five NLL championships from 1999 to 2005.

Smith said it was a “true honour” to be inducted into the Orillia Sports Hall of Fame. He credits volunteers for helping him field successful sports teams during his career.

“In all sports, it’s not the owner that makes the difference in a team or your paid help,” he said. “It’s the volunteers that come out and support the team. Without them, no sports organization would be successful.”

Reflecting on the Travelways days, Smith says they were some of the best times of his life. He says none of it would have been possible without the support of his family.

“We had some great teams,” he said. “My family supported me through all this bulls**t and I’m surprised they did,” he quipped.

Joanne Stanga, a member of the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame, is one of the pioneers behind women’s lacrosse in Ontario. She worked tirelessly to develop the sport for girls in Orillia and other Ontario communities before becoming a provincial and national champion as a coach.

To see that the Orillia Lady Kings has grown into an organization that produces world-class talent makes Stanga incredibly proud.

“Here is hoping that someday the little Lady Kings, those cute little five-, six-, and seven-year-olds are going to grow up and play in the Olympics,” she said. “You’ve got to start somewhere.”

Stanga says hard work pays off, but she wouldn’t have had success without the support of her family and the Orillia community.

“They are always there to guide, support, and inspire us,” she said. “You are responsible for me being involved in sport. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

The ‘Class of 2020′ — Wayne Dowswell, Bill Watters, and Dave Town — was also inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday night as last year’s ceremony was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dowswell, a former Park Street Collegiate Institute gym teacher, led the school to 19 consecutive city wrestling championships. He also started the ‘Muscle Barn’ which is still going strong today.

Dowswell’s wife, Alice, spoke on his behalf during Saturday night’s ceremony and shared a story of when the coach would innovate new wrestling moves at home.

“I was Wayne’s grappling partner any time he had a new wrestling move to teach,” she said while the sold-out crowd at Hawk Ridge Golf Club erupted in laughter. “One time we were practising the hip throw onto a bed and my foot went through the wall. Our son had a playmate over who went home and told his parents that Mr. Dowswell threw Mrs. Dowswell through the wall.”

Watters was a star athlete at Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute and the University of Toronto before becoming an NHL player agent, a broadcaster, and the assistant general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Watters was also part owner of the Toronto Rock and helped start the Ottawa Renegades of the CFL.

“I’ve had some good fortune,” he said. “I’ve always prepared myself for when opportunities arrived, and I was strong enough to accept them and do the best I could with them.”

Watters attributed his career success to his early life in Orillia where he built relationships and worked hard.

“Orillia was a big part of my life,” he said. “When I think of the good fortune that I’ve had, I attribute it a lot to the city of Orillia. I’ve never forgotten it, and I thank all of you for what you have done for me in that regard.”

Town joined Shivers as a fellow swimmer and the only other inductee going into the hall of fame under the athlete category on Saturday night.

Town was an elite swimmer who won seven gold medals at Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union championship events for the University of Toronto. Town holds more than 60 Canadian and four world records in masters swimming.

“I got to represent Canada internationally four times,” he said. “I was really fortunate that at one meet I actually got to get up on the podium and see the Canadian flag raised.”

Town says being inducted into the Orillia Sports Hall of Fame is a great honour. As a researcher and local historian, he knows just how many great athletes are still waiting in line to share the honour.

“Eventually I’m going to start nominating these guys from 100 years ago who are pretty awesome,” he said.

Article by:  Tyler Evans
Date: May 29, 2022
Publication: Orillia Matters
Link to Original Article: Click Here