Moose Jaw and District Sports Hall of Fame Honours Greatest Atheletes and Builders
In the short time the Moose Jaw and District Sports Hall of Fame has existed, it has rapidly become one of the top honours any athlete and builder from the community can receive. New inductees always express their humility and honour to be included among the ranks of the enshrined Wall of Fame, located on the secondfloor mezzanine of Mosaic Place – and for good reason; NHL Hall of Famers. Canadian Olympians. National and World Champions. And a good number of the people who helped get them there. The 2019 class was officially inducted this past October and included a host of elite athletes and builders from years past.
Wayne Cormier played an integral role in the development of Special Olympics powerlifting in Moose Jaw, creating a team that would dominate meets and win titles every time they stepped on the platform. Over 100 athletes passed through his tutelage, winning provincial, national and even international competitions.
with many of his players and teams putting together impressive results at the high school and provincial and even national levels.
Moose Jaw and District Sports Hall of Fame board member Ken Bradly and Jana Garinger – accepting on behalf of Bill Johnston – unveil the 2019 class.
Bill Johnston is the legendary builder behind the formation of the Highway Hockey League (mid-60s), Saskatchewan Junior ‘B’ Hockey League (1992) and the man who helped officially form the Western Major Baseball League (2000), in addition to working as a referee both nationally and internationally.
Larry Tollefson was one of the best players to ever suit up for the legendary Moose Jaw Regals teams of the 1960s. Described as a tough, fiercely competitive athlete who commanded the respect of his teammates and opponents alike, he played 13 years in the Southern Baseball League, leading the Regals to seven league titles while being named the top catcher and a league all-star six times.
Roy Thiessen was heavily involved in coaching from the late-50s right into the early 80s, working with volleyball, track, golf, cross-country and softball programs. He was mostly known for his work with curling, 50 2020 ExploreMooseJaw.com
The Terry McGeary senior men’s curling team, which included Clare Ramsay, Don Berglund and Hillis Thompson, won the 1980 Canadian Senior Men’s Curling Championship in dramatic fashion, rolling through the round-robin with a 9-2 record, including wins in their final two games, to edge Manitoba for the title. Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Moose Jaw and District Sports Hall of Fame have put their nomination evaluations, induction announcement and banquet ceremony on hold meaning there will be no members added to the Hall of Fame for 2020. The 2020 class would have been the sixth in the history of the Hall of Fame, which currently holds 29 members across athlete, builder and team categories, covering 14 different sports. The banquet itself is one of the most highly anticipated events on the fall calendar and annually draws the who’s who of the Moose Jaw sports world to Mosaic Place for an evening of fun and memories. The MDSHF had a solid slate of potential candidates to consider, and those names will remain in the pool for next year when the process is expected to follow much the same pattern as in the past – a nomination call in January, announcement in September and induction ceremony in October. Information on the Moose Jaw and District Sports Hall of Fame is available on their newly revamped website at mjdshf.com. You can also find bios of all the past inductees dating back to the first class in 2015.
