40th Season Hall of Fame Honourees Announced
11 May 2009
When the current editions of the Ottawa Nepean Canadians baseball teams took the field last month in Burlington, it marked the 40th consecutive season of Canadians baseball. To mark the special occasion, the Canadians will host a first-ever alumni game Wednesday, June 10, at Hamilton Yards, followed by a special Canadians Hall of Fame evening Friday, June 12 at the Lone Star Ranch.
The Canadians are hoping for a strong turnout of players from the 1970s, '80s, '90s and the current decade with plans to play this year's 18U team in a friendly contest, to be followed by a reception at the Ottawa Nepean Canadians Sports Club, 1125 Cobden Ave., following the game.
The Hall of Fame evening will become an annual event with one inductee per year. But at our inaugural dinner, this year's class will honor five members who have contributed much to ensuring the Canadians are still on fields throughout Canada and the Unites States.
The first class of inductees includes four builders and one player: the late Gord and Bruce Hamilton, who re-surrected the organization from financial disaster in the late 1970s, the late Fred Wigney, who was there from Day One and never saw a ball game he didn't enjoy, the always late _ but not late _ Bob Elliott, who single-handedly kept the organization alive in the late 1970s and early 1980s before heading off to Toronto where he continues coaching to this day in Georgetown and Mississauga. Bruce Hamilton also founded Pinecrest Little League way back in the early 1960s and many a player has advanced through the Pinecrest system to join the Canadians.
The first player inductee is Shawn O'Connor, who joined the organization in the early 1980s and never left, working around his playing commitments with the Canadian National Team for several seasons as a mentor to just about every young player who came along.
Tickets for the Hall of Fame dinner are $30/per, $300/table. Seating is limited and it's first-come, first-serve.