For Bryan Adams, it was the summer of 1969, but for the inductees of the 2022 University of Toronto Sports Hall of Fame, the best days of their lives were the ones spent representing U of T as Varsity Blues. That seemed to be the common thread between their acceptance speeches, along with stories about grit and determination, laughter and friendship, and gratitude for the experiences, lessons and memories the Blues gave them.
The annual event, put on hold over the last two years due to COVID-19, was once again held in person at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport on May 26. Professor Gretchen Kerr, dean of KPE, was on hand to welcome and congratulate the inductees, along with Beth Ali, executive director of athletics and physical activity at U of T, and Jennifer Button, a Varsity Blues swimming alumna and president of the T-holders association, the alumni group representing intercollegiate athletes.
“The U of T Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1987 as part of an ongoing effort to record and celebrate a legacy of athletic excellence at the university,” said Kerr. “Tonight we honour 10 individuals and three teams who helped build that tradition of excellence through their outstanding achievements and contributions to athletics.”
Dave Copp, inducted as a builder, served as coordinator of intercollegiate athletics and assistant coach to the Blues football team in the 1970s. He was the offensive coordinator for the Blues when they won the Yates Cup in 1974 and said he can still hear The Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad playing the Battle Hymn at their games.
“That still gets the hair on my neck standing up,” he said.
Vicki Smith won five consecutive Ontario Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Association (OWIAA) field hockey gold medals between 1985 and 1989. Zooming in from Vancouver, she said she was humbled by the honour and described being a member of the Varsity Blues field hockey team as one of the greatest experiences in her life.
Heather Moyse spent just one year with the Blues, but it provided her with a lifetime of lessons and memories, she said. Following her time at U of T, where she competed in both rugby and track and field, Moyse went on to compete in four Winter Olympic Games, winning gold in bobsleigh in 2010 in Vancouver and 2014 in Sochi.
William Bodrug’s granddaughter Alyssa accepted the induction on his behalf. Bodrug, who was known as Mr. Basketball for his love of the sport, helped lead the Blues basketball team to two conference championships before going to serve in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1937.
“On behalf of our family here and above, we thank you for this distinguished honour,” she said.
Gymnast Lorne Patterson won the Werry Cup for the best overall individual performance, qualifying for the 1940 Olympics. World War ll cancelled his Olympic dreams, but two generations later, his granddaughter Rosie MacLennan would compete at the Olympics in trampoline. MacLennan, also a U of T alum, won two Olympic golds in trampoline in 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
“He would have been so proud,” said his son John, who accepted the honour on his father’s behalf.
Zoe Fleming’s daughter Anne shared her mom was a tour de force, who loved sports, but never tooted her own horn.
“When we got the news about her induction, we were shocked, because we didn’t even know she played basketball,” she said. But, play she did and well - the first three years with University College, who were crowned intramural champions in 1942, followed by a year with the Faculty of Physical Education and Health, who won a championship in 1943.
The 1994 men’s rowing lightweight eight team came out in full force for the ceremony. The crew claimed the gold medal at the 1994 Ontario University Athletic Association (OUAA) championships and finished first in the 1995 Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia, the largest collegiate regatta in the United States. Hilary Reddin was their coxswain (pilot), one of only a handful of women in that role at that time.
“When I think back to that year, we were all quite the collection of individuals, with ideas and opinions of our own,” she said. “However, once we stepped foot in that boat we became one.”
Reddin remembered the exhilarating moment of calling power ten in a race and feeling the boat lift out of the water and propel itself forward as it pulled away from other boats in the race. (Power ten is used by the coxswain to motivate a crew. It means doing ten hard strokes while the coxswain counts.)
“There’s no better feeling,” she said.
The 1994-95 women’s rowing team was also inducted. At the OWIAA championships, the lightweight four won gold, as did the heavy eight crew, who went undefeated in every university circuit race throughout the year. Team member Kubet Weston spoke about waking up at 4:30 in the morning to get to practice and watching the sunrise on the water with her teammates, now friends for 25 years.
Ten-time Ontario University Athletics (OUA) gold medalist Laura Stoveld said being on the U of T figure skating team brought a sense of friendship and camaraderie not typical in a sport where athletes compete as individuals or in couples.
“My teammates and coaches allowed me to skate to my true potential while feeling a sense of belonging,” she said.
Gordon T. Davies shared his dad died when he was 11 and his mother wanted to keep him busy, which set him on a path of playing hockey. Some years later, Davies won four OUAA championships with the Blues, as well as three consecutive Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU) championships from 1971 to 1974-75.
“Although I’m up here by myself, I’m on the shoulders of many,” said Davies thanking his teammates, coaches, family and friends for propping him up over the years.
After a successful time playing hockey with the Blues, Kent Ruhnke went on to play professionally with the Winnipeg Jets and the Binghamton Dusters. He also played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins in 1975-76 before continuing his career in Switzerland, as player and coach. In a recorded message from the Swiss Alps, Ruhnke thanked the Blues for changing his life after a coach suggested he turns pro.
His teammate David Hulme accepted the award on his behalf.
Fellow hockey player Rocci Pagnello recalled the fun of playing on a team of friends, who also knew when to get serious, studying on buses between games. He thanked the Blues for teaching him to never quit and gifting him with good eyesight – from all the squinting he did on ice to see the forwards. Pagnello won two CIAU champion titles with the Blues in the 1975-76 and 1976-77 seasons. He served as team captain in 1977-78 and competed with the Italian national hockey team in 1981.
Fittingly, the 1975-76/1976-77 men’s hockey teams were the last inductees of the evening, feted for leaving their mark on intercollegiate sport in the mid-70s with back-to-back national championships and outstanding players.
Rounding off the evening, Beth Ali said it takes a remarkable amount of dedication and perseverance to reach these levels of excellence in sport.
“Our inductees have not only realized their goals, they exceeded them, and that is so inspiring, especially to the bright young student-athletes who are following in their footsteps.”