Cobourg

In his 1990 induction to the University of Toronto Sports Hall of Fame Larry O’Connor was cited as “the outstanding hurdler in Canada during the 1930’s setting many Canadian records”. “Larry” was born in Toronto on September 22, 1916. When Larry was 13, his father was appointed to the bench as County Court Judge of Northumberland and the family moved to Cobourg where Larry enrolled at Cobourg Collegiate Institute (CCI). Larry’s reputation as an extremely talented athlete preceded him and he immediately began training with fellow Cobourg resident Art Ravensdale – a hurdler already setting records. Larry was chosen for further training at the Ontario Athletic Commission Camp on Lake Couchiching where he distinguished himself by being the first boy to swim to an island one mile away. He competed at track meets in the area. 

After graduating from CCI in 1934 Larry attended the University of Toronto. He joined the Toronto West End YMCA Club and the Varsity Blues Intercollegiate Track and Field Championship Team where he trained alongside Jim Worrall. Both competed at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Summer Games. In the 110m hurdles Olympic final Larry would finish in sixth-place establishing a personal best time of 14.8 seconds. After the Olympics, Larry’s career took off as he went on to set Canadian records in the 110-meter-high hurdles, the 120-yard-high hurdles, and the 220-yard low hurdles. In 1937, at the annual Maple Leaf Gardens Track Meet, Larry set a new world indoor record in the 60-yard-high hurdles. At the 1938 British Empire Games, held in Sydney, Australia, Larry was a gold-winning member of the 4x110 yard relay team and a silver medalist in the 120-yard-high hurdles with a time of 14.2 seconds, the third-fastest in the world that year and a Canadian record that stood until 1963. 

A year later, Larry raced to a time of 14.8 seconds in the 110-metre-high hurdles, setting a new Canadian record that stood until 1964. Larry was awarded the Norton Crow Memorial Trophy (for the Canadian Amateur Athlete of the Year) and the John W. Davies Trophy (for the Outstanding Track Athlete of the Year). He was inducted into the Canadian Amateur Athletic Hall of Fame in 1967, Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1968, University of Toronto Sports Hall of Fame in 1991, and Athletics Ontario Hall of Fame in 2013.

Fran Jay never played a sport, but it would be impossible to tell the story of Baseball and Hockey in our community without her. In our community and beyond, she played a critical role in the growth and acceptance of woman’s hockey. A lifelong resident of Cobourg, Fran married Ron Jay on October 26, 1963. Ron was heavily involved in Baseball locally, and it didn’t take long for Fran to gravitate towards the administrative side of the sport. Joining the executive of the Cobourg Baseball Association, Fran took on countless tasks; organizing tournaments, running fundraisers, housing and feeding visiting umpires, arranging accommodations for visiting teams, working the canteen to name but a few.

 In 1987, after many years of service, she was awarded the “Curtis Products Award”, given to the person judged to have contributed the most to the Cobourg Baseball Association. While attending a Toronto Blue Jays game, Fran and Ron were featured on the stadium Jumbotron in recognition of their contributions to Baseball and were referred to as “Mr. and Mrs. Blue Jay from Cobourg”. Fran and Ron had two children, Brian and Brenda. When Brian played hockey, Brenda always tagged along. When Brenda was old enough to play in Cobourg, she wasn’t allowed a chance to play with the boys and there was no girls team. So began Fran’s legacy as an advocate for girls’ hockey. 

Although she didn’t start girls’ hockey in Cobourg, she spearheaded the creation of the United Counties Hockey League (later known as the Lakeshore League) which provided girls’ teams a chance to play against girls’ teams in other towns. In 1982, Fran became the first ever Girls Governor on the CCHL executive and brought her administrative talents to her newest passion. Later she would be elected a Life Member of the CCHL in recognition of her efforts. Eventually, Fran would join the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association executive as a Regional Director. A board member from 1993 to 1999, she was the team liaison for international teams and organized the 1997 and 1998 Senior AAA Women’s Provincial Championships that were held in Cobourg. She also helped to organize the 1997 Women’s World Championships, held in Kitchener, and was involved with the Canadian Women’s Olympic Hockey Team. 

One would be hard-pressed to find an athletic pursuit – Hockey, Softball, Basketball, Football, Track & Field – that Al Fenton did not excel in. A regular competitor at Kawartha, COSSA, OFSSA throughout his high-school career, Al’s athletic talents were on constant display. In 1967 he established six new records in six Junior events at C.D.C.I. West’s Field Day. He followed that up by winning 3 races at the Kawartha meet in Peterborough. Then in Oshawa he took home the COSSA championship in the 100- and 220-yard sprints. At the OFSSA championship in Hamilton Al ran a personal best in the 100-yard sprint. 

Al was also a valued member of the West’s Junior Harrier team, regularly competing in Kawartha Cross-Country events. He was one of three Cobourg runners chosen in 1967 to compete at the first Central Ontario-Maritimes track & field meet, held in St. John, New Brunswick. That same year – in team sports – Al was the top scorer on the Bantam ‘A’ Basketball team and was voted the Outstanding Junior Football Player by his teammates. Surprising no one and considering his many accomplishments, a just-turned 16-year-old Al was chosen as Cobourg’s ‘Athlete of the Year’ in 1967. 

Outside of school athletics, Al also played both All-Star Hockey and Softball. In 1968, along with many of his teammates, Al made the jump from Midget All-Star Hockey to the Junior B Cobourg Cougars, where he would be a prolific centreman for the next two seasons. In Softball, his talent at the plate and on the mound, helped his Dairy Queen team capture Provincial OASA championships in 1970 and 1971. Thanks to his athletic and educational prowess, Al received a four-year Division 1 Hockey scholarship at Colgate University, graduating with a BA in 1974. 

Upon invitation, he attended the Toronto Maple Leafs Rookie Camp that fall before returning to Cobourg to work at General Foods, play Fastball in the summer and Mercantile Hockey in the winter. At the same time he studied for his MBA from Western University. Upon receiving his MBA in 1978 Al, along with his young family moved to Wooster, Ohio where he settled into his life’s work, and was instrumental in introducing the sport of hockey to a generation of youngsters through the development and organization of Wooster’s Youth Hockey Club Program.  

Like many youngsters of his generation that grew up in Cobourg and the surrounding area, sports formed an important part of Jim Bradford’s childhood. And like many he didn’t limit his activities to one sport as he participated and excelled in Softball, Baseball, Hockey, Skiing, Football, Volleyball, Cross-Country Running and Basketball. Amongst his playing accomplishments on the diamond, Jim was a valued member of the 1962 Legion Bantam Ontario Championship Softball Team, the Winchester Western Jr. Provincial Championship Team’s in 1963 and 1964, and the Cold Springs Cats All-Ontario Championship squad in 1975 and 1976. 

It was thanks to the inspiration (and a drive to a Basketball officiating clinic) from Jerry Lawless, the Physical Education Head at the Cobourg West Collegiate, that Jim took an alternate path. Not only would he officiate the sport for many years, but would help found the South Kawartha Basketball Association. It was on the diamond where Jim achieved his greatest success as an umpire. In 1968, Jim began his umpiring career, mainly working local games and tournaments. Over the next three-plus decades, Jim would earn a reputation as the top umpire in our area and without question, the most accredited. 

Jim would work the Pan Am Games in Indianapolis, the Canada Senior Men’s Fast Pitch Championships in Fredericton, New Brunswick, the National Midget Boys Fastball Championships in Napanee; the Women’s World’s in Newfoundland, and numerous provincial championships, while also acting as an umpiring supervisor in various national competitions. Jim founded the South-Central Umpires Association and served for many years as the Vice-President of the Cobourg Men’s Softball League. Over his career Jim convened countless umpiring clinics, sharing his wisdom and experience with the next generation of arbiters. 

In 2000, Jim became the first-ever umpire in Canada to receive his Level 5 status in both softball disciplines: Fast-Pitch and Slow-Pitch. Three years later, Jim was elected into the Canadian Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame as well as into the Softball Ontario Hall of Fame.

With the notable exception of a three-year stint in the Air Force during World War II, Jack Bevan spent his entire life in Cobourg. As a youngster, Jack (born September 11, 1924) played some hockey, was an avid bowler, and during his high school years he excelled at basketball. Above all Jack’s passion was softball, where he starred as a catcher, first on local pick-up teams, and later in organized leagues. Throughout his life, Jack was a familiar, smiling, and constant presence in our town’s ballparks. 

One of the founders of the Cobourg Legion Softball League in 1958, Jack was involved in all aspects of the organization for many years that followed, whether it was coaching, umpiring, being in charge of the equipment, serving on the local executive, or being a member of the OASA executive board. In recognition of his length of service Jack was made a Life Member of Legion Minor Sports. Along with John Ryan, Jack coached the Legion Peewee Baseball team to Cobourg’s first Ontario Championship in 1960 and 1961. Two years later he was part of the group that helped found the Cobourg District Girls Softball League. 

He would spend the better part of two decades coaching girls’ softball teams. He also went on to coach Men’s softball and had his last-at-bat, a single, at the age of 60 for Burnett’s in the Cobourg Industrial Softball League. Jack passed away in 1993. The following year saw the opening of the Legion Fields facility on D’Arcy Street. A world-class Softball facility made up of three diamonds, the middle one was officially christened “The Jack Bevan Diamond” … a fitting tribute to a man who gave so much to our community and one who spent most every summer night of his life at a diamond in his beloved hometown. 

Few individual athletes in Cobourg’s long sporting history can lay claim to a decade of sustained achievement on the level of Leo Reyns successes on the wrestling mat throughout the 1970’s.

Attending C.D.C.I. East from 1971 to 1975 Leo was an integral part of that school’s championship wrestling team, a group that was Kawartha Team Champions in four of those years. Individually, Leo won the Kawartha Championship in his weight class in 1973,1974 and 1975. He was COSSA Champion in 1973,1974 and 1975, finished as the OFSAA runner-up in 1974 and was named the school’s Most Valuable Wrestler that same year.

In his final year of high school in 1975 he claimed the OFSAA Gold Medal in the 123lb weight class, and was named the C.D.C.I. East Athlete of the Year. The fall of 1975 saw Leo further his studies at the University of Guelph. Over the next four years, Leo would be a part of the Varsity Wrestling team that won the OUAA Championship in 1976 and 1977, and finished in fourth place in the 1977 World Cup Team Championship – Freestyle Division.

Individually, in 1975, Leo won the Canadian Junior Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion, the Canadian Junior Freestyle Wrestling Bronze Medalist, and the Ontario Senior Open Freestyle Champion. In 1976 Leo captured the OUAA Wrestling Individual Championship and served as an alternate on the Canadian team for the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics. In 1977, Leo placed 4th in the World Cup Individual Freestyle competition, held in Toledo, Ohio, and in 8th place in the World Greco-Roman Championship, held in Gothenburg, Sweden.

After claiming the 142lb OUAA Wrestling Championship as well as the OUAA Wrestling Individual Championship in 1978, Leo capped off his championship career in 1980 when he was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the Ontario Senior Open Championship.

When he was 8-years-old, Terry Lewis was gaining attention on all-star teams in both Hockey and Baseball earning commendations from no less than Layton Dodge, who proclaimed him “a star in the making”.

In 1966, Terry helped his Novice All-Star hockey team become the OMHA Zone Finalists during the winter and the Eastern Ontario Baseball Association Tyke A champions in the summer. Two years later in 1968, that same group of talented youngsters would claim the 1st ever “Little NHL” B Championship. Attending C.D.C.I. East, Terry would be a part of the Midget COSSA Championship Basketball team in 1970 and the Junior COSSA Championship Football team in 1971.

On the ice, Terry would join the Cobourg Cougars Junior C team for the 1971-72 season. That season, the Cougars were OHA finalists, with Terry finishing third in playoff scoring. The next year, 1972-73, saw the Cougars finish the year as Central and Eastern Ontario Junior C Champions with Terry sharing the laurels of being the top scorer.

The 1973-74 season brought Cobourg its first-ever OHA Championship with Terry as the team’s Captain. Terry was instrumental in the Cougars success, capturing the league’s scoring title and Most Valuable Player Award. In addition, his 162 penalty minutes set a new team record, his 88 points were a new single-season league record, and he would add 71 points in group and provincial playoffs. A versatile player, capable of playing both forward and defense, and often asked to, 1975-76 would be Terry’s final season with the Cougars, a season that saw the team reach the OHA semi-finals.

A couple of years later, Terry returned to the Cougars as the team’s Co-Coach, before taking over as Head Coach in 1979-80, guiding the team to a first-place finish and a spot in the OHA quarter-finals.

On the ball diamond, Terry joined the Cold Springs Cats fastball team in the late 1970’s, and played as a left-handed throwing shortstop when the Cats captured the Ontario Senior A Fastball Championship in 1980. Years later, with his main contribution coming from the pitching mound, Terry helped lead the Cats to three consecutive Canadian Masters Championships in 1997, 1998, and 1999, and was named the top pitcher in the 1997 championship.

Jerry Lawless graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1955 and started teaching in Englehart, Ontario. In 1956, Jerry moved back to Cobourg where he began teaching and coaching at C.D.C.I. West. While teaching, Jerry continued his own education by studying at night and during summers to complete a Bachelor of Physical and Health Education degree at McMaster University in 1962. The following year, Jerry was appointed head of the Department of Physical Education.

In those early years, Jerry coached anywhere from five to nine different teams due to a shortage of coaches. On one occasion, Jerry coached the school's soccer and volleyball teams to championship wins on the same day. As a coach and a teacher, Jerry influenced the lives of countless students, helping to develop both their athletic skills and more importantly, imparting to them valuable life lessons.

Jerry would go on to coach numerous teams (volleyball, basketball, soccer) and individuals (particularly in track and field) to championship wins. Some of the most notable teams were 1967 and 1968 Kawartha and COSSA Boys Volleyball as well as 1975, 1978, and 1979 Kawartha and COSSA Midget Boys Basketball. In recognition, Jerry was a recipient of the Pete Beach Award, a provincial coaching excellence award given to outstanding coaches for their contributions to better their sport and athletes.

Upon his retirement in 1988, C.D.C.I. West presented him with the Coach's Dedication Award and named two athletic awards in his honour: the Jerry Lawless Coaching Award and the Jerry Lawless Senior Male Athlete of the Year Award. In 2005, the gymnasium at C.D.C.I. West was christened the Jerry Lawless Gymnasium.

In a 1967 profile in the Cobourg Daily Star, no less an authority than Layton Dodge wrote that “Many years from now, however, C.D.C.I. West graduates will not remember Jerry Lawless for the number of winners he produced, directed, assisted or just encouraged. They'll remember him for the kind of person that he was. And that, I suggest to you, dear reader, is undoubtedly the finest compliment they could ever hope to pay him.”

For over forty years Clarke Harnden was a mainstay of the Cobourg Community Hockey League!

A volunteer, a member of the executive, a tournament organizer, but to all of those who were lucky enough to know him he will always be remembered first and foremost as a coach. Clarke gave his time, his knowledge, and more often than not his patience, in teaching prospective young hockey players the fundamentals of the game. But perhaps more importantly, Clarke also passed along his passion and pure joy for the game to generations of young boys and girls in our community.

In addition to his time on the rink, Clarke also leant his coaching expertise in the summer on the diamond, coaching teams to the Tyke EOBA championship in 1970 and 1987. As a player he was a long-time fixture in the Cobourg Town League, winning a number of league batting championships as well as playing on the 1949 Dunham Aces championship team and as a member of the 1953 OASA Intermediate B Eastern Ontario Softball championship team. In 2000, Clarke began coaching in Baltimore with a dream to keep coaching until he coached his great-grandchildren … a dream that he fulfilled.

One of those countless youngsters who learned the game from Clarke was future three-time Stanley Cup Champion and longtime NHL coach Steve Smith; “Clarke truly made you feel better about yourself every time he crossed your path. I wish more people got to see just how special he was … he was the Pied Piper when he opened the doors to the old Cobourg Arena. I treasure my memories of his charismatic smile and inviting spirit that only a lifelong coach could give. His kindness, generosity, and selflessness were second to none. All these years later, I still try to emulate his patience, wisdom and knowledge with the players I am lucky enough to coach – passing on the true gift that he gave to everyone he met”.

In 1965, Faye Gaudet began her sporting career as the bat girl with the Coverdale Aces. The following year she began playing Fastball and has continued to be on the diamond ever since in both a player and coaching capacity.

Faye was a member of the Provincial Championship Bantam B Fastball team in 1970 and in 1975 and 1976. Faye played on the Cobourg Angels Junior B Ontario Championship Team. Running concurrently, Faye began her own Fastball coaching career, winning a Bantam B Ontario Championship in 1977, leading the same team to the Silver Medalists of the Bantam A division in 1978 and then back-to-back provincial finalists in 1979 and 1980 in the Midget division.

At the rink, Faye began playing organized hockey on a Cobourg Women's team at the age of 14. Faye joined the Rice Lake Rebels the following year and played with them until heading to Centennial College to play for the Colts. After 2 years with Centennial Faye played 4 years with Brampton Canadettes Senior team. Prior to leaving for College Faye helped to establish the first Cobourg girls hockey league, which eventually led to her coaching an all-girls team sponsored by St. Michael's Church and christened “The Flying Nuns”. Faye also served as a member of the CCHL executive for years.

Faye began refereeing in the OMHA and the OWHA while umpiring in the summer with Softball Ontario. In the late 1980's, Faye was part of the organizing committee for the Cobourg Jr. Angels. Faye continued to coach a Jr. Angels team. In 2000 Faye again coached a Jr. Angels team to the Bantam Tier II PWSA Ontario Championship.

Those years also saw Faye coach boys teams for the Cobourg Legion. Faye has served on the executive board of both Cobourg Legion Minor Softball and Cobourg Baseball Association at the same time coaching her two sons in baseball and hockey. Faye returned to the Cobourg Junior organization to coach in 2003 and has been with the organization ever since in both a coaching and executive capacity. In 2017 her Novice team won the Eastern Canadian Fastball Championship. Faye also volunteered her time coaching Basketball teams in the Cobourg Youth Basketball League from 2004 to 2007.