The Orillia Sports Hall of Fame has some unfinished business to look after.
In January 2020, it was announced that Bill Watters, Dave Town and Wayne Dowswell had been elected to the Orillia Sports Hall of Fame.
But the pandemic wiped out the April gala where the three legends would have been celebrated.
As a result, the event has been rescheduled to April of 2022 and they could be joined by some new inductees.
However, that can only happen if someone from the community nominates a worthy candidate.
“Nominations are now open for athletes and builders to be inducted in 2022,” said Roy Micks, the chair of Sport Orillia, the local organization that oversees Orillia’s sports shrine, which now has a home inside the Orillia Recreation Centre.
“There have been some outstanding athletes and some influential builders who have made their marks in Orillia over the years,” said Micks.
One of those is Ken ‘Jiggs’ McDonald. The legendary Hockey Hall of Fame broadcaster first dipped his toes into sports broadcasting when he worked at CFOR in Orillia.
He went on to become one of the NHL’s top play-by-play personalities while working for the Los Angeles Kings, the New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs and other teams.
During his lengthy career behind the mic, he simply “made a conscious effort to do the best” he could. He never thought of being honoured for doing his job.
But among the many accolades he’s received, the one bestowed on him by Orillia really resonates.
“To have been recognized and honoured by the Orillia Sports Hall of Fame was, and still is, humbling,” said McDonald, who was inducted in 2018.
“I proudly carried the banner for Orillia everywhere I worked. That was important to me as well,” he said, while encouraging Orillians to step up and nominate worthy candidates to join him in the hall of fame.
Micks agreed.
“One of our primary mandates is to recognize those from our past who have helped put this city on the map.”
It’s easy to nominate an athlete or builder. Just visit the website and fill out the form found there.
The deadline to nominate someone is Feb. 4, 2022.
“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, executive, 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.
To date, there are 23 esteemed members of Orillia’s Sports Hall of Fame.
The first class of inductees entered the shrine in 2015 and included Elaine Thompson, Cam Devine, Jake Gaudaur Jr., Walter Knox and Walter Henry.
In 2016, Brian Orser, Rick Ley, Harry Gill and Jake Gaudaur Sr. were inducted. The following year, Rob Town, Jerry Udell, Terry Bullen and Lawrence Mervyn McKenzie were inducted.
In 2018, Ken ‘Jiggs’ McDonald, Brittney Fess, Toben Sutherland and Jayme Davis joined the hall.
In 2019, Stuart Burnie, Don Stoutt and Bill McGill were inducted. And in 2020, Wayne Dowswell, Dave Town and Bill Watters were selected for induction.
The Orillia Sports Hall of Fame Gala is slated for April 23, 2022 at Hawk Ridge Golf and Country Club.
For more information about Sport Orillia and the Orillia Sports Hall of Fame, visit their website or contact board members Roy Micks ([email protected]) or John Hammill ([email protected])