Photo: Cathy Dillon at 2007 PEI Curling Hall of Fame induction ceremony
(PEI Sports Hall of Fame) The PEI Sports Hall of Fame has announced its inductees for 2011, and familiar faces from the sports of hockey, curling, basketball and volleyball will be honoured when the ceremonies, sponsored by the PEI Mutual Insurance Company, are held later this year.
Jamie Kennedy (athlete, hockey), Cathy Dillon (athlete, curling) Sandy Frizzell (builder, hockey), George Morrison (builder, basketball) and Myron Weeks (builder, volleyball) will be the latest inductees and will join the 156 individuals and teams who currently make up the membership of the PEI Sports Hall of Fame. Kennedy will join his brother Forbie in the Hall, while Cathy Dillon joins husband Bobby, and will become the second husband/wife partnership to be inducted.
“We have an excellent 2011 induction group, all of who have been prominent in their respective sports right here on PEI,” said Hall chair Lee Brammer. “I anticipate this year’s inductions will be one of the most memorable ever, and we are looking forward to welcoming our newest members.”
Ticket details regarding the ceremonies will be announced as soon as final arrangements regarding date and location are confirmed.
Charlottetown’s Cathy Dillon is without doubt one of the finest lady curlers the Island has ever seen.
Cathy played on six provincial women’s championship teams in the 1970s and 1980s (four for Marie Toole and two for Kim Dolan), and was a provincial mixed champion four times with her husband Bobby. In 1974 she was on the Toole team that finished second at the Canadian championship, while she was again a national runner-up at the Canadian Mixed in 1975.
In addition to being a dedicated player, Cathy has been a contributor to the game as an administrator, coach, organizer and official. She is a member of the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame and an inaugural member of the P.E.I Curling Hall of Fame, and will be joining her husband Bobby as the second husband/wife partnership in the PEI Sports Hall of Fame, alongside Dr. Wen and Elizabeth Macdonald.
Jamie Kennedy of Charlottetown is one of the most familiar faces in Island hockey, having enjoyed a professional career that included 588 professional games with a yield of 321 goals and 630 points.
The feisty Kennedy landed his first professional hockey contract in 1968 with the Jersey Devils of the Eastern Hockey League, where he netted 40 goals in his first season. His incredible 50-goal tally in 1970-71 made him the first Maritime born professional to reach that milestone.
His illustrious career saw him lace up the skates for the New York Raiders of the newly-formed World Hockey Association, the Syracuse Blazers of the North American Hockey League, and the Winston-Salem Polar Twins of the Southern Hockey League, before returning to PEI to play senior hockey for the Charlottetown Islanders, helping them win a Hardy Cup in 1981.
As a coach he has successfully passed on his vast experience and knowledge to many Island teams, and he also forged a reputation as an outstanding official, considered by many to be the finest referee ever produced in this province.
As owner and manager of the famous Sandy’s Royals, Charlottetown’s Sandy Frizzell is fondly remembered as one of the top supporters of hockey on PEI.
Acquiring the former Barry’s Flyers in 1957, Sandy and his Royals provided a showcase for elite senior players in this province for many years, and the team gave thousands of fans first-class entertainment as stars such as Angie Carroll, who later coached the team, and Errol Thompson, on his way to the NHL, suited up for the club, which won a host of Maritime championships and created a buzz wherever they played.
To this day, former players talk about his generosity, enthusiasm and professionalism, and when senior and intermediate hockey in the region fell into decline in the mid-1970’s, Sandy took it upon himself to gather up many of his former players to form the first team of oldtimers, taking them across the country as well as to tournaments in the States and Europe.
Widely loved and respected by all that played for him, Sandy passed away in 2004.
Myron Weeks, a long-time Charlottetown resident, is undoubtedly the most recognizable name ever associated with Island volleyball.
Instrumental in the formation of organized volleyball at the Charlottetown YMCA in the late 1950’s, Myron was a founding member of Volleyball P.E.I. in 1970, where he was the sport’s main promoter and organizer.
His players remember him fondly as a coach, where he would devote thousands of volunteer hours each year taking school and club teams all across Eastern Canada and beyond, and his continued love and passion of the game for more than 50 years has left a legacy which is enjoyed by many players today.
Morell’s George Morrison needs no introduction to the Island’s basketball’s fans, following a 17-year career at UPEI which saw his Men’s Panthers reach the play-offs 14 times, and net three Atlantic titles.
A three-time AUAA Coach of the Year – the first with the Lady Panthers, where he helped establish the program in the early 1980s – George’s accomplishments make him one of PEI’s most successful coaches in any sport, and his record of over 300 CIAU wins, a 47 game home winning streak, and seeing his team ranked #1 in the country, are milestones which are unlikely to be broken any time soon.
George has also coached numerous provincial and Canada Games teams, in addition to being an outstanding organizer and administrator the local and provincial level.