Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame ‘unveiled’

Reprint post by Sarah Hyatt Northumberland News Mar07-19

First round of athletes, builders announced for hall of fame

COMMUNITY 05:00 AM by Sarah Hyatt  Northumberland News

Cobourg resident Art Dalgarno, front and centre, was among the 200 people who attended the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame unveiling on March 3. Here, he is seen touring the memorabilia displays and talking with other attendees. He says the board did an 'exceptional' job with the project. - Sarah Hyatt/Northumberland News

About 200 people packed the Cobourg Community Centre for the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame unveiling on March 3. - Sarah Hyatt/Northumberland News

Residents are being encouraged to stop by the Cobourg Community Centre to take in the sports memorabilia displays unveiled on March 3. - Sarah Hyatt/Northumberland News

An attendee at the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame unveiling filmed a video of several home games of the famous Cobourg Galloping Ghosts during the 1952 football season. - Sarah Hyatt/Northumberland News

Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame board members unveiled their first sports memorabilia displays at the Cobourg Community Centre on March 3. - Sarah Hyatt/Northumberland News

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COBOURG — It took several years of hard work and many helping hands, but March 3 — the day that the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame came to life — is now a day for the history books.

Close to 200 people packed the Cobourg Community Centre (CCC) for the hall of fame's “unofficial unveiling” on March 3.

“It’s been a long process and a lot of people have helped along the way,” hall of fame board member Ross Quigley told attendees, ahead of the unveiling of the first memorabilia displays and the announcement of the first eight inductees.

The very first discussions about starting a sports hall of fame took place back in May 2016, when a group of sports enthusiasts with a shared dream to preserve local sports history

To see it all come together, and with a jammed packed lobby in front him, “I’m very emotional,” said Quigley.

Since 2016, the board has documented the histories of more than 80 local sports and collected more than 500 pieces of unique sports memorabilia — and on March 3, residents finally got an up-close look at the first cabinets and cases showing these unique pieces.

The first featured exhibits showcase a number of sports and sporting events through the ages.

Cobourg resident Art Dalgarno was among the attendees for the unveiling, and toured the displays on Sunday. The board did an “exceptional” job, he said.

As an added bonus for the unveiling, there was even video shown of several home games of the famous Cobourg Galloping Ghosts at Donegan Park during the 1952 football season.

Even former St. Louis Blues NHL player Gordie Brooks, who originally hails from Cobourg, stopped by for the unveiling (he just happened to be in town for his mom’s 90th birthday, Quigley told attendees).

And that wasn’t the only surprise for the momentous day — with the Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame making a $2,000 donation to the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame.

Peterborough board members had already been instrumental in helping the Cobourg board get through the process of incorporation, and were among those thanked and honoured publicly during the unveiling. The donation was “completely unexpected.”

Those in attendance for the unveiling Sunday got an introduction to all those involved with the project, and also heard about the many supporters and donors who helped ensure that the hall of fame came to life.

It’s pretty “remarkable” the support that the board has received, said Quigley.

All major supporters were recognized publicly and received certificates of appreciation Sunday.

As for the first-ever inductees into the hall of fame, it’s a heavy-hitters list.

The very first inductee announced was Layton Dodge, who’s being honoured for his coverage of most sports in the area — and for doing so with “love, diligence, integrity and honesty,” MC Joel Scott told attendees.

The Cobourg-born resident joined the staff of the Cobourg Sentinel Star as a sports writer after high school; he published his first piece in 1957 and his final piece in 1996.

Over the years, he also served as the statistician “for many leagues and organizations.”

But perhaps his “greatest gift” was his recognition that sports were just as important to the house league player as they were to the rep team player, and he gave equal coverage to both, said Scott.

Paul Currelly, an “all-around athlete” and major influencer in local women’s softball, is also being inducted.

While originally born in Port Hope, Currelly moved to Cobourg in 1951 and resided there until his death in 2004. He played several sports — and from 1947 to 1952, served as a “respected backfielder” with the Galloping Ghosts.

Once his playing days were over, he dedicated his time as a coach and instilled, in many players and teams, the good team player attitude that he had always shown, said Scott.

He was a founding member of the Cobourg Girls Softball League in 1963.

That same year, he became the coach of the Coverdale Aces, and this team was the prelude to the Cobourg Angels Softball Organization — these teams later earned five Ontario championships and a number of league and tournament titles.

“Paul Currelly was an athlete, but he became the major influence in women’s softball in Cobourg for 40 years,” said Scott.

Among the other inductees is “Ferocious Fred” for his work with the Galloping Ghosts, “the most famous of all teams in Cobourg’s sports history.”

Fred Dufton moved to Cobourg in 1926 with his wife and six kids; it’s said that he got interested in football when his sons started playing in high school.

He soon became the manager of collegiate teams and when the boys left school: he started the Red Raiders, an intermediate football team. In 1937, the team’s name changed to the Galloping Ghosts.

He earned his nickname as he tackled all obstacles in his way, and for his “tremendous desire” to bring home the wins. His record included eight Ontario titles and three Canadian titles in 13 years.

Dufton is described as “one of the most illustrious and most successful sportsmen the community has ever known.”

Don Ito, who won several championships and trophies for his performances on and off the water, is also being inducted.

He started out playing hockey in the mid-1950s, but was also involved drag racing in the 60s — and with his 1962 Chevy Impala, he won many trophies.

But his true calling came in 1960 with the formation of the Rice Lake Waterski Club, said Scott.

In 1966, he won the Canadian nationals, then placed second in the United States nationals, before returning the next year to take first. In 1968, he won the United States nationals again, accumulating a perfect score.

In the same year, he broke the world record for tricks at the North American Championships and was named an overall champion, said Scott.

In the years to follow, Ito continued to represent Canada; he won the United States nationals for a third time and later the tricks division at the nationals, as well as led in the open division in the North American Championships — and these are just a few of his wins.

Ito will be in good company with Grafton-born Marty Kernaghan, another of the inductees.

From 1969 to 1977, he won several Ontario baseball and amateur softball championships.

His fastball career eventually put him on the fast-track to join the local Cold Springs Cats, before joining Oshawa, Alberta, Calgary and Iowa teams.

In total, he played in 11 International Softball Congress (ISC) World Tournaments and was named an ISC all-world all-star eight times, said Scott.

In 2002, Kernaghan was elected to the ISC Fastball Hall of Fame.

And Kernaghan isn’t the only Cobourg inductee to already make it into a hall of fame.

Frank Mazza was inducted into the Ontario Cerebral Palsy Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

While he used a wheelchair for mobility and cerebral palsy affected his body, muscle control, fine motor skills and more, Mazza didn’t let it stop him.

In the early 80s, he started wheelchair racing and later won many competitions at local and provincial meets — he then started a two-year Team Canada training program.

In 1984, he won the 60-metre sprint and the 100 and 400-metre sprints at the provincial games. That same year, at the international level, he was a gold medal winner for Canada in the 4x100-metre relay.

Two years later, Mazza took gold again in the 4x100-metre relay, silver in the 400-metre and bronze in the 100-metre races at the Cerebral Palsy Games. His career was cut short after a cancer diagnosis the same year.

“Mr. Softball” is also being inducted.

Bill O’Neil served as a coach, treasurer and volunteer for several teams in the Cobourg Team League for 40 years. He was the coach of four-championship juvenile teams during the 70s.

In 2007, he was recognized by the Ontario Amateur Softball Association as Ontario’s “Mr. Softball.”

And finally, the last of the inductees, is former NHL player Steve Smith.

Success in hockey never came easy to Smith. But he stuck with the game, and by 17 grew to six-foot-three and 180-pounds — and then caught the attention of the London Knights, said Scott.

Later, he was a midround draft pick for the Edmonton Oilers; he also played for the Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames.

In his 804 NHL games, he scored 72 goals and had 303 assists for 375 points — he also won three Stanley Cups and a Canada Cup, said Scott.

After stepping off the ice, he coached with Calgary, Edmonton and Carolina. He is now an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres.

These individuals will be formally inducted on June 22 during a dinner at the Best Western.

Inductees were selected by an anonymous committee based on nominations submitted.

The memorabilia collections will continue to be on display at the CCC, with the public encouraged to visit.

by Sarah Hyatt

Email: shyatt@northumberlandnews.com