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Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame honouring 2022 inductees, founder Ross Quigley

Quigley’s dream to share local sports history, to honour athletes, builders lives on

Sarah Hyatt

Northumberland News

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

The Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame group is gearing up to announce its 2022 inductees at an upcoming ceremony March 6.

At this ceremony – which will take place at the Cobourg Community Centre – information about the Ross Quigley Youth in Sport Award will also be shared, while remembering and honouring the late Ross Quigley, the group has announced.

In other words, Quigley’s dream to share the sports history of the area and to honour and support local athletes and builders lives on.

Quigley, who was instrumental in founding and creating the hall of fame – and who also dedicated countless hours to helping to document the histories of local sports and collect hundreds of memorabilia items – passed away at age 77 in December 2021. The Youth in Sport Award was created to honour Quigley’s memory.

A well-rounded athlete competing in several sports in his day, Quigley loved sports. And he believed deeply in ensuring area residents could honour local history, as well as area advocates, builders, athletes and more. This is what he passionately told Northumberland News on multiple occasions while promoting the building of the hall of fame and memorabilia displays at the CCC, on behalf of the board.

During the hall of fame’s second induction banquet, it was announced that the Ross Quigley Youth in Sports Award will be given out yearly to a young person who has made a significant contribution to sports.

The upcoming Sunday, March 6 ceremony, which is set for 2 to 4 p.m., will shed more light on the award, while also celebrating 2022 hall of fame inductees at the CCC’s Grand Hall.

The very first discussions about starting a sports hall of fame took place back in May 2016, when a group of sports enthusiasts got together, hoping to preserve local sports history. This dedicated group of volunteers has been collecting and cataloging sports memorabilia and historical information from Cobourg and area communities ever since.

In March 2019, the group, with the help of many along the way, celebrated the hall of fame coming to life. At this time, the first memorabilia displays were unveiled, and the first eight inductees were announced.

To see it all come together, in the words of Quigley, made for an “emotional” celebration.

Since then, a number of residents and groups have continued to step up to support the hall of fame project through financial donations, gifts of materials, services, and more.

In recent months, community nominations were accepted. A separate selection committee reviewed the nominations and selected the inductees being announced March 6, it was explained. 

The public is invited to attend the upcoming ceremony at the CCC. A formal induction ceremony is also set for June 17, 2022, at the Cobourg Best Western Inn.

The Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame encompasses Cobourg, Alderville First Nation, and the Alnwick/Haldimand, Hamilton Township and Cramahe areas.

Quigley is also fondly remembered for being a community leader, his friendship and his numerous other volunteer roles.

He valued community, and volunteered his entire life, starting at age 14, and continuing into his retirement years. He was involved in a number of projects locally over several decades, serving countless charities, clubs and causes.

This is also why Quigley was recognized with the Town of Cobourg’s top civic award, the Angus and Bernice Read Volunteer Award.

Quigley passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones at Ed’s House in December 2021. He also dedicated his time and expertise to help build the new hospice.

For more information about the hall of fame project, visit www.cdshf.ca or contact info@cdshf.ca.