March 23, 2001 | |||||
The legend continuesUniversity of Alberta honours its most outstanding athletes | |||||
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The University of Alberta's tradition of excellence in athletics has been evident in recent years. The Golden Bears and Pandas' teams have been taking on all comers in all sports, with the Golden Bears hockey team closing in on its third consecutive CIAU championship. Today's athletes are continuing a legacy of excellence established by their predecessors. On April 3, the university looks upon its past with pride, inducting five athletes to the Sports Wall of Fame during a special ceremony at the Shaw Conference Centre. The U of A will also look to the future during the event, announcing the name of the new University of Alberta South Campus Athletics Facility as well. This year's inductees to the Sports Wall of Fame are:
Bill Moores [B.Ed. 1972]Bill Moores starred at the University of Alberta as an athlete and a builder. During the 1971-1972 season he led the Golden Bears Hockey team in scoring, to first place in the WCIAU, and to a third-place finish. It is, however, as a coach of the Golden Bears that Bill's mark has been most indelibly made. From 1976 to 1994 he served as an assistant coach with Clare Drake or as the team's head coach. During his seven years as head coach, the Golden Bears represented the WCIAU on five occasions and won the University Cup - symbolic of Canadian University hockey supremacy - twice. His teams never finished lower than second place in WCIAU league play. After leaving the University, Bill coached for two highly successful seasons in Japan and then returned to Canada to accept an assistant coaching position with the New York Rangers. Bill is currently an assistant coach with Craig MacTavish and the Edmonton Oilers
Dalton Smarsh [B.Ed. 1976]Dalton Smarsh was one of the most outstanding running backs in the history of Golden Bear football. In five years (1972-1976) he established team, conference and CIAU rushing records that have stood for decades, and was captain in four of those five seasons. On four occasions the league named him to its all-star team and in 1974 he was selected as a CIAU All-Canadian. In his rookie year he helped the Bears win the CIAU championship. Drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Dalton elected instead a career in the world of education. Edmonton sport programs and Edmonton Public Schools benefited from that decision. He has served as a department head in physical education for 15 years, coached a wide range of school sports, produced championship teams in football, basketball, and athletics. Dalton found time to serve as the offensive co-ordinator of the Golden Bears in 1985 and as assistant coach (three years) then head coach (two years) of the Edmonton Wildcats. As the Wildcats' head coach, he led the team to a Canadian championship in 1983.
Frank MorrisFrank Morris was an all-star athlete in hockey, fastball, baseball and football but it was as a football player that he is best known. He participated as a player and as a Director of Player Development in 19 Grey Cup games - and was on the winning team 13 times. After retiring from the professional ranks, Frank joined the coaching staff of the University of Alberta Golden Bears football team in 1959 and served as offensive and defensive line co-ordinator. During his tenure, the Bears made two Bowl appearances. The first was in the Churchill Bowl in 1962, which the Bears lost to the McGill Redmen, and the second in 1963 when the University of Alberta hosted the Golden Bowl defeating, in that precursor to Canadian university football championship play, the Queen's University Golden Gaels. From 1970 to 1988, Morris re-joined the Edmonton Eskimos and served as Director of Player Development. He proved to be a superb judge of player talent and his reports influenced college player selection among all of the professional teams in Canada. In 1981 he was awarded an honorary lifetime membership in the Canadian College Football Association.
Wendy (Clarkson) Carter [B.Ed. 1989]The Western Canada Interuniversity Athletic Union (WCIAU) and the University of Alberta no longer provide athletes the opportunity to compete at championship levels in the sport of badminton. This was unfortunate for the U of A for, in 1975, one of its entering students was already a junior Canadian champion in this sport and this student would go on to be Canada's dominant female badminton player for the next decade. Wendy Clarkson (now Carter) competed in every major badminton event around the world winning numerous gold, silver and bronze medals in most. In 1977, representing Canada at the Pan Am Games, Wendy won gold in women's singles and in the team championships. The next year, as a member of Canada's Commonwealth Games team, she won the silver and the bronze medal in the team competition and in the ladies' singles respectively. In 1978 she was ranked as the third-best female badminton player in the world. As Wendy's international career ended, she went on to participate in senior's championships where she won Manitoba and Canadian titles. During this phase of her life in sport she has moved into the coaching ranks and her influence continues to be evident throughout Canada's badminton programs.
June (Jamison) McDonald [B.Pe. 1961]The University of Alberta Bakewell Trophy symbolizes outstanding athletic excellence among all participants on Panda programs. It was appropriate that June Jamison (now McDonald) won this premiere award in 1962. June had starred on Western Canada Interuniversity Athletic Union championship teams in golf, curling and volleyball during the course of her university career. This outstanding inductee won city, provincial and national titles in golf and curling (two national titles in 1966 and 1968). June (Jamison) McDonald went on in the world of sports to build the Junior Achievement organization of Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories into the second largest of such programs in Canada. She served for years as a fundraiser for groups such as the Winnifred Stewart School, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Heart Fund and the Salvation Army. She has left her mark on our university and on our city. |
