Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum

Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2019: Achievement Award – George Stothart, Multi-sport Athlete & Builder

Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

Published

4 years ago

1 minute read

George is a multi-sport athlete, coach, and for 64 years, a basketball official. He was born deaf and became a leader in the growth of the deaf sporting community in Alberta. He played football with the Lacombe High School, the University of Alberta, the Edmonton Huskies, and basketball for the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). George competed at three World Deaf Games, twice on the Canadian Basketball Team in 1965 & 1973, and as a 400m athletics participant in 1969. He attended once again in 1981 as a Team Canada official and chaperone. George was one of the key players on the Edmonton deaf fastball team, ‘The Flying Fingers’ in 1969, and was one of the founders of the Edmonton Tasmanian Devils deaf slo-pitch team in 1980. He was also a leader in the formation of the Edmonton Deaf Basketball team. George was one of the first officers to serve on the board of the Federation of Silent Sports of Alberta (FSSA), the forerunner of the Alberta Deaf Sports Association. He held numerous positions from 1976 to 1982. George refereed basketball at various levels since the age of 15 and in the peak of his career, was officiating 287 games per year.

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Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

www.ashfm.ca

The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame provides a family-friendly, interactive experience. You will be surprised by what you discover inside! Have fun, laugh, play and discover Alberta sports heroes together. The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame is an interactive, hands-on celebration of Alberta's sporting history. Our over 7,000 square feet of exhibit space includes a multisport area with virtual baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer; an adaptive sports area, including a 200 meter wheelchair challenge; a Treadwall climbing wall; the Orest Korbutt Theatre; the Hall of Fame Gallery; an art gallery displaying works by provincial artists, and much more. Our venue boasts a collection of over 17,000 artefacts of Alberta sports history and showcases many of these items in a number of displays. The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame also offers an education program, group activities, and a unique environment to rent for your birthday party, special event, corporate reception or meetings.

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Alberta Sports Hall of Fame announces 2023 Inductees

Alberta / 8 months ago

THE HALFTIME REPORT News from the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

Alberta / 8 months ago

THE HALFTIME REPORT News from the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

Alberta

THE HALFTIME REPORT News from the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

Published on June 8, 2022

Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

Honoured Member Darryl Sutter Wins Jack Adams Award

Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter has won the 2021/22 Jack Adams Award, presented annually to the NHL’s coach of the year.

Sutter was Inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2000, with his brothers Brian, Duane, Brent, Rich, and Ron. All six brothers grew up and played minor hockey in Viking before moving to Red Deer to play with the Red Deer Rustlers of the AJHL.

The NHL announced the award winner on Sportsnet prior to Game 2 of the Western Conference Final on Thursday, with a video of Brian Sutter, a winner of the award in 1991, presenting the award to his younger brother Darryl.

The Flames missed the playoffs in the 2020/21 season when Sutter took over halfway through the year. In the following 2021/22 season, Sutter captured the 6th best record in the NHL for the largest season to season improvement, as well as winning the Pacific Division.

To learn more about Sutter’s amazing coaching story, click the link below.

Article Link

Honoured Member Dr. Willie Littlechild has been Awarded by the Governor General of Canada

On May 26th Honoured Member Dr. Willie Littlechild received the Meritorious Service Cross (Civil Division), a prestigious award by the Governor General of Canada. The award is given to a nominated individual in recognition of their contributions that bring honor to the country in various fields including advocacy, health care, research, humanitarian, and more.

For more information, please click on the article link below.

Article Link

This newsletter is sponsored by Travel Alberta.

Honoured Member in Focus: Edmonton Grads

Basketball Team – Inducted 1974

The amazing record of the Edmonton Grads spans an era of 25 years. Under the expert coaching of the late Percy Page, the Grads played 522 official games in Canada, the United States, and in Europe, winning 502 and losing 20 for an average of 96.2%. The Grads won seven of the nine games they played against men’s teams. In establishing their outstanding record, they had two consecutive winning streaks of 147 and 78 games respectively. They won the Provincial Championship during their first year of existence in 1915, and continued to win 23 of the 24 times they competed for it. In the Western Canadian Championship, the Grads won all 21 games they played from 1926 to 1940. In the Canadian Championships they never lost a series, from commencement of title play in 1922 to the team’s disbandment in 1940. They were crowned World Champions from 1937 to 1940.

The Edmonton Grads received many honours over the years. They were inducted into the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame in 1973 and the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980. The Grads still have the record for best winning percentage of all time for North American teams. In 1976, the Edmonton Grads’ achievements were declared a National Historic Event and Parks Canada dedicated a plaque in their honour, two years later, in 1978. The Edmonton Grads Youth Basketball Association was founded in 2002, in Edmonton, to honour the legacy of the famous women’s basketball team.

Honoured Member Profile

Provincial Sport Organization: Alberta Basketball

Alberta Basketball is the governing body for the sport of basketball in Alberta. We believe that our amazing sport is more than just a game; it is – A Game for Life. The game of basketball assists all who participate by developing life skills and habits that will benefit and enrich their lives. ABA’s mission is to champion the sport of basketball by inspiring unity, facilitating development, and delivering superior value.

Visit their website by clicking on the link below.

Alberta Basketball Site

Artifact in Focus!

This large Silver Vase-like trophy that is engraved to read “Offert Par La Municipalite De Monaco 1936” was given to the Edmonton Commercial Graduates Basketball Team while they were in Europe playing exhibition games prior to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

June is Pride Month

Every person should have the ability to pursue their dreams without fear of discrimination or prejudice based on age, race, religion, gender, or sexual identity. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Many athletes have faced, and many still do, discrimination from sports organizations, team management, coaches, and even fellow athletes for things they have no control over.

Four of our Honoured Members have come forward to share their journey through sports and coming out to help inspire the next generation of athletes to be true to who they are in all aspects of their lives. By sharing these heartfelt stories with you, we hope that we can start to see the changes needed to allow all athletes regardless of age, race, religion, gender, or sexual identity to feel safe to be their authentic selves in and out of the locker room. Our featured honoured members in this exhibit are Mark Tewksbury, Danielle Peers, Keely Brown and Kessie Stefanyk.

Soon we will be saying goodbye to our ‘True to You in Sport’ Exhibit which highlights these Honoured Members. Mark Tewksbury, for example, became Canada’s first sports hero to openly declare his homosexuality in 1998. He helped start a national conversation on the taboo subject of gays in sport. Since that time, Mark has been an outspoken advocate for inclusive and safe sport spaces for all.

Come see it before it’s gone!

Hall of Fame in the Community

Our Hall of Fame summer students were out in the community attending events geared towards our youth. We were at the Central Alberta Family Expo on May 28 in Red Deer as well as the Central Alberta Children’s Festival which showcases opportunities for the children of Central Alberta to learn, play and be active.

If you would like your Hall of Fame to visit your event please contact us at 403-341-8614 or [email protected]

Donate Now

The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame needs your support to continue the ongoing preservation of Alberta’s sports history and the development of museum exhibits. We are grateful and appreciative of the generosity of our supporters and friends. We would be happy to assist you in choosing how your personal legacy will be fulfilled and the many options available. Here is some information on donating shares to ASHFM and the benefits to you as a donor.

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Alberta

THE HALFTIME REPORT News from the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

Published on May 28, 2022

Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

ASHFM Staff Supporting Their Favourite Alberta Teams

The Battle of Alberta was fantastic. Let’s do this again soon! This is the first time the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames have met during the NHL Playoffs since 1991. The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame had a ton of fun creating a number of different ways for Albertans to learn about and participate in the rivalry.

We created a poll where visitors to the museum placed a sticker on our board to indicate which Albertan NHL team they cheer for. Those unable to stop in were encouraged to comment on our social media posts, telling us their team, so we could place the sticker for them. Both teams had over 200 votes, with the total climbing higher each day.

We also highlighted some of our honoured members who have played for, or been associated with either of these teams, such as Wayne Gretzky, Michael Vernon, Glen Sather, and Peter Maher.

Other initiatives include Jersey Day, where visitors who come in on a Battle of Alberta game day wearing a Flames or Oilers jersey get 50% off of their admission into the museum, highlighting iconic BoA moments through Youtube, and more!

This newsletter is sponsored by the RBC Foundation.

Honoured Member in Focus: Wayne Bowes and Bob Daku

Wayne Bowes and Bob Daku began playing racquetball together in 1969, after meeting at the Lethbridge YMCA. They dominated the Canadian Open Men’s Doubles in racquetball from 1974 to 1982. Together, they won nine consecutive national titles.

Besides their national titles, this team won numerous Alberta crowns and competed at the 1974 World Amateur Racquetball Championships. They won two more titles, in 1984 and 1985, and then retired from competitive racquetball with eleven of thirteen national titles.

For more information about this team, please see their Honoured Member Profile, linked below.

Honoured Member Profile

Provincial Sport Organization: Alberta Racquetball Association

The Alberta Racquetball Association’s vision is to make racquetball accessible to all Albertans and to be a national leader in programming, athlete development, and good governance.Its mission is to facilitate the participation and enjoyment of racquetball through the delivery of programs, access to resources, the development of coaches and officials, and support to clubs and affiliates.

They strive to build a strong future and legacy for racquetball by supporting competitive athletes, fostering lifelong participants and aim to increase involvement and accessibility at all levels through promotion, advocacy, and funding.

Artifact in Focus!

The artifact that we are highlighting is a racquetball racquet. The cover is made of faux, brown, leather.

New Billboard

Next time you’re driving down the QEII you will notice the new billboard on our building! Our new billboard reads “This Hall’s Got Game,” and is visible from Highway 2.