Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Don Phelps Named as 2014 Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Inductee

Press Release

 Congratulations to longtime AJHL Coach Don Phelps on his induction into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

The 2014 Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Inductees include:

Dr Gary Bowie
Multisport Builder

Gary has been a sport figure in Lethbridge and Alberta since the 1960s as a participant, coach, teacher, administrator and author. He is a founding member of the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame, the Lethbridge Sports Bid Committee, the Lethbridge Sport Council and the Alberta Sport Development Centre South West. He was on the 1975 Canada Games committee and chaired the 1996 Alberta Winter Games. Gary has been a National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) course instructor since 1974 and facilitated at least one course every year since.

Carol Huynh
Wrestling Athlete

Carol moved to Alberta in 2007 and soon became an Olympic champion, 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and eleven-time national champion. At the 2008 Olympic Games she made history by becoming Canada’s first woman to win Olympic gold in wrestling, and Canada’s second Olympic gold medalist in that sport. She then won a second Pan-American Games gold medal and a Commonwealth Games gold medal. After it was announced in 2013 that wrestling would be dropped from the Olympic program, Carol was one of five representatives for FILA (International Federation of Associated Wrestling) that successfully met with the IOC to have wrestling reinstated into the Games.

Keith Morgan
Judo Athlete

Keith is a four-time Olympian in the sport of judo, having gone to the 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 Games. He finished fifth at the Sydney Olympic Summer Games in 2000. For eight years, he was ranked in the top 7 in the world. Keith was a national champion for over a decade and was named Judo Canada's Athlete of the year twice. He had a gold medal victory at the 1999 World University Games and earned the silver medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Keith hosted a number of training camps in Alberta throughout the years, providing inspiration to many young judo athletes.

Don Horwood
Basketball Builder

Don was the head coach of the University of Alberta Golden Bears basketball team for 27 years beginning in 1983/84. He guided the team to 15 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships, winning three national titles (1994, 1995, and 2002), and earning two silver medals, one bronze medal, one 5th and three 7th place finishes. He is a three-time CIS coach of the year and two-time Alberta Basketball Provincial Coach of the year (1994 & 1995). He coached the National Junior team in 1998 at the world qualifying tournament. He was the basketball colour commentator for CBC television during the 1996 Olympic Games.

Don Phelps
Hockey Builder

Don coached in the AJHL from 1974 to 2011 and holds the record for most wins for a Junior "A" coach in Canada. He took his teams to eleven AJHL championships, winning five (1986, 1988, 1990, 1995, and 1999) and coached the Calgary Canucks team to a victory at the 1995 Centennial Cup in Ottawa. Don is the founding father of the Major Midget League (S.A.M.M.), now the Alberta Major Midget League. Don was named the Calgary Booster Club Sportsman of the Year in 1998 and was inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.

Phyllis Sadoway
Ringette Builder

Phyllis coached ringette for 27 years, beginning in 1982 in Sherwood Park. She has developed ringette in Alberta, Canada, and internationally by her contribution to the building of the USA national program. She has been a technical course conductor and served as a Chairperson and board member. Phyllis was an assistant coach for Team Alberta at the1996 World championships, assistant coach for Team Canada in 2002, and Head Coach for Team USA in 2004, 2007 and 2010. She was the head coach for the Edmonton WAM in the NRL from 2007 to 2009. Ringette Alberta named the Phyllis Sadoway Development Award in her honour.

Susan Sloan Kelsey
Swimming Athlete

Susan learned to swim at the Centennial Pool while growing up in Stettler. She set Canadian and Commonwealth records in the 100 M butterfly at the 1976 Olympic Trials. In Montreal at the 1976 Olympic Summer Games, Susan won a bronze medal with the women's 4 x 100 medley relay team. She won a gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in the women's 4 x 100 Medley Relay and then won a bronze medal at the 1978 FINA World Aquatic Championships, once again in the women's 4 x 100 Medley Relay. Susan competed at the 1979 Pan Am Games in Puerto Rico.

Erin Chan, Kirstin Normand, Reidun Tatham
Synchronized Swimming Team

Erin, Kirstin and Reidun were members of the bronze medal Synchronized Swimming Team at the 2000 Olympic Summer Games. Since 1998, they had trained together and competed as part of the National team. They won a bronze medal at the 1999 World Cup and a gold medal at the 1999 Pan American Games in the team event. Following the 2000 Games, Kirstin and Reidun retired from the sport and Erin continued with the National team. She competed at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Broder’s Chinooks Men’s Basketball Team
2014 Pioneer Award

The Broder's Chinooks Men's basketball team from Lethbridge competed in Sr. "A" basketball. They won three national championships (1958/59, 1960/61, and 1961/62) and won four straight provincial championships from 1958/59 to 1961/62. The team was rarely beaten by other Canadian teams and were highly competitive in American invitational tournaments. The team was inducted into the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.


Rod Phillips
2014 Bell Memorial Award (Media)

Rod Phillips was the voice of the Edmonton Oilers play-by-play action for 37 years until he retired in 2011. The Oilers organization retired a jersey in his honour with the number of games he called: 3542. A broadcast icon, many people would tune out the TV announcer and listen to Rod on the radio while they watched the game. Rod Phillips was also known as Mr. Amateur Sport in Edmonton as he always showed a genuine interest in amateur sport at all age levels. Rod worked for CFRN TV from 1964 to 1992, CFCW for three years, CHED Radio for three years, and Oilers radio for twelve years. In 2003, Rod received the Foster Hewitt Award for Broadcasting Excellence.

The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame & Museum provides a family friendly interactive experience . Be surprised at what you will discover inside. Have fun, laugh, play together, and discover famous Alberta sports celebrities. Plan your birthday party, special events, or corporate reception in a unique environment!

For further information about these events or other upcoming events, please see our website www.ashfm.ca/events

(Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)

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