announced its inductee slate for the upcoming Annual Dinner scheduled
to take place on Saturday, November 4th, 2006 at the CanadInns Polo
Park. Those being honoured include 5 athletes, 3 builders and 1 team,
as well as a veteran athlete and team.
It is an exceptionally strong year for amateur sport. The Builder category includes athletic therapist Chuck Badcock, all round builder George Depres, and international artistic gymnastics judge Kathy (Ursell) Stoesz. The Athlete category includes golf champion Ted Homenuik (see photo), paddling/canoeing legend Don Starkell, swimming’s international multi-gold medalist Joanne (Mucz) Vergara, basketball and volleyball phenom Rick Watts, and CFL hall of famer Chris Walby! The Veteran athlete is boxing’s Pete Kawulia.
The team induction honours the basketball dynasty that was the Nicollet Inn Senior Men’s Team. They won the national title three times in five consecutive final appearances; 1979, 1980 and 1982. The core of this team remained throughout the championship run and included 1981 Inducted Member Jim Bulloch (1979 Coach), 1991 Member Martin Riley and 2006 Inductee Rick Watts. The Veteran team is the 1952 Norwood St. Boniface Legionaires, winners of the Intermediate Canadian Football Championship. After losing in the 1951 final, the Legionaires captured the province’s first national football championship of any kind since the 1941 Winnipeg Blue Bombers captured the Grey Cup. Almost 8,000 people witnessed the final at old Osborne Stadium in hosting Manitoba’s first national football championship in history.
Basketball Manitoba would like to congratulate the 2006 class - especially Rick Watts and the Nicollet Inn teams!
For more information on the dinner and to purchase tickets, check out the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame .
For more on the history of basketball in Manitoba, visit the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame.