Deserving inductees to enter football hall

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/08/2013 (4685 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An impressive list of inductees will enter the Football Manitoba Hall of Fame on Aug. 8 at the hall’s fourth annual luncheon at the Canad Inns Fort Garry.
While former Blue Bomber players Roger Hamelin, Cec Luining, George Depres, Bud Irving and Kas Vidruk had success at the pro level, they, along with nine additional players, coaches, builders and officials are being honoured for their accomplishments and contributions to amateur football in our province.

St. Boniface native Hamelin, who lives in Fort Garry, captained the St. Paul’s High School Crusaders in the late 1950s and played for the junior Weston Wildcats. Luining (The Selkirk Milkman) played for Daniel McIntyre High School Maroons and was an all-star with the junior Winnipeg Rods. The third player inductee is Riding Mountain resident Marshall Quelch, a Canadian weight-lifting champion who played both ways for the St. James Rams intermediates and seniors in the 1960s. All three were linemen.

The coaches are Depres, who coached at St. Paul’s before leading the Rods to the Canadian junior championship in 1955, ’56 and ’61; Arni Taylor, who in 1957 and ’58 won city and provincial high school championships in his first two years at the helm of Tec Voc; and West Kildonan’s Mike Kachmar, who coached at Daniel McIntyre, Sisler and Kelvin after quarterbacking the Maroons and Rods. Irving from Fort Garry will be inducted as an official along with George (Red) Eakin and Abe Kovnats. The trio worked the amateur game for many years as well as in the pro ranks.

Charleswood’s Ron Gustafson will be inducted as a builder. After coaching at Churchill and Grant Park high schools, he served as commissioner of the Winnipeg High School Football League from 2000 to 2010 during a period of expansion.

The induction of Charleswood resident Joe Salay, who built the Rivers high school team while working in the southwestern community, and Doug Steeves, called the Godfather of Brandon football, ensures that football in rural Manitoba is not overlooked.

Vidruk and Eddie Cass are already in the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame as builders. Now they are being recognized specifically for their amateur football contributions.

A longtime official, Vidruk was a strong supporter of high school football during his time with Winnipeg School Division No. 1 and the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association. Cass created the St. Paul’s Crusaders and coached the team to nine Manitoba School Rugby League championships. Both will be inducted posthumously as will Luining, Depres, Taylor, Eakin and Kovnats.  

Four teams will be honoured. Winnipeg Rams won the Canadian intermediate championship in 1954 and Winnipeg Hawkeyes captured back-to-back national juvenile titles and the Little Grey Cup in 1968 and 1969. With just 29 players primarily from grades 10 and 11, the 1982 St. Paul’s Crusaders won the private school’s first-ever Winnipeg High School Football League championship.

Rivers Rams will be inducted for winning the Rolling River School Division and the MHSAA rural high school championships in 1964.

Winnipeg Free Press reporter Ashley Prest, who covered the amateur game from minor to university levels for 25 years, will enter in a special category.

Memories of Sport will appear every second week in the Canstar Community News weeklies. Kent Morgan can be contacted at toastandcoffee@canstarnews.com or 204-489-6641.