Date: April 2014
Summary: Conducted telephone interviews with 10 individuals in advance of the CCAA Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Profiles appeared online and were referenced in speeches, press releases and the event program.
Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association - Sports Hall of Fame Inductees
Irwin Strifler
Irwin Strifler has dedicated his life to sport in the roles of athlete, coach, administrator and mentor.
As an athlete he was an outstanding performer, playing football in the American college league on a full athletic scholarship, winning the 1961 Junior Rose Bowl, and going on to play football and basketball for the University of Alberta Golden Bears. He was then drafted into the CFL by the Calgary Stampeders, where he played briefly before pursuing his career in education.
He was appointed athletic director at NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) in 1968, a position he successfully occupied until his retirement in 1998. Over those 30 years he shaped not only his institute but the landscape of Canadian collegiate sport. He played a major role in the ACAC (Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference), serving as an executive member as well as its executive director. He was also a founding director of the 4-West Championship, which organized tournaments for teams competing in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. That organization would later evolve into the CCAA, of which Strifler was a founding member. He served as a regional representative from 1975 to 1977 and then as vice-president from 1977 to 1979.
“I think [the founders] had the same vision, and we were all very enthusiastic about it” says Strifler. “We wanted to see our teams go forward and to try to establish something that would take them to the next level. Forty years later, it’s still very successful.”
Strifler contributed to that success by frequently hosting CCAA national championships; in 1989 NAIT hosted men’s hockey and men’s basketball, winning gold medals at home in both events. “The memories of hosting national championships definitely stand out,” says Strifler. “Winning gold at home is a significant thing and we hosted whenever we had the chance.” NAIT would win a total of 12 CCAA team championships and 17 individual gold medals during his tenure.
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to sport, Strifler was inducted into the NAIT Wall of Fame in 2003, and the University of Alberta Wall of Fame in 2005.
Jack Costello
As a young hockey player, Jack Costello played junior hockey at St. Michael’s College in Toronto, Ont. before moving up to the senior ranks and joining the Windsor Bulldogs for six seasons. He played forward when they won the 1963 Allan Cup, and competed in Russia and Europe later that year.
By 1967 he’d established a men’s hockey team at Windsor’s St Clair College, serving as both head coach and assistant athletic director and earning five OCAA (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association) championships. It was then that he and athletic director Alex Hoffman were approached with the idea of creating a national collegiate sports organization. After taking part in initial meetings held in June of 1972, he became the CCAA’s first OCAA representative in 1973 as well as its first hockey convenor, playing a key role in the administration and development of sport at the national level.
As a founding member and convenor of OCAA men’s hockey, Costello took a leadership role in establishing hockey at the national level. He led negotiations and obtained official recognition from the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, establishing common playing regulations, player eligibility and transfers rules, dispute procedures, conference participation, and requirements for qualified officials. Once established, the sport served as a template for other CCAA national championships and provided leverage for additional funding from Sport Canada.
He served as the CCAA hockey convenor and OCAA representative for five years, attending many of the early CCAA national championship tournaments. He also played a role in promoting other sports at the national level, spearheading research that identified potential national championship sports and presenting the results to Sport Canada in order to obtain financial assistance and support.
He went on to become St Clair’s athletic director for 10 years before retiring in 1997. In 2003 he was inducted into the OCAA Hall of Fame as an honoured coach of the St Clair men's hockey team.
The founding of the CCAA, says Costello, was “a result of the dedication and commitment of all those involved. There was a sense of camaraderie, and a shared respect for the different parts of Canada.”
“The CCAA national championships not only promoted very competitive and entertaining matches, it also gave each host the opportunity to share the culture and customs of their respective regions. I still remember the sing-alongs in Cape Breton and sampling fresh maple syrup in the woods of St Georges de Beauce.”
Another memorable moment was St Clair winning the 1976 CCAA men’s hockey title. Through it all, says Costello, “it was sportsmanship and fair play that prevailed,” two principles that remain key values to the CCAA.
John Cruickshank
John Cruickshank’s long association with student athletics began when he became Sheridan College’s first athletic director in 1969. He built the program from the ground up. He was an active member of the OCAA (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association), serving as conference president and overseeing cross-country running, judo and curling. In 1972 he represented the OCAA at a meeting for what would eventually become the CCAA, and in 1974 Sheridan hosted the First Annual Quebec-Ontario College Hockey Championships, a predecessor to the CCAA’s national tournaments. His would be in attendance at qnnuql national meetings became an annual event for the rest of his athletic career.
“John loved his time among student athletes,” says wife Colleen Cruickshank. "He was an enthusiast and a visionary, and took on challenges with a ‘yes we can’ attitude. He considered himself fortunate in those early years of the CCAA to have worked alongside so many colleagues whom he respected and whose company he enjoyed.”
He became dean of physical education at Seneca College in 1979, the same year he joined the CCAA executive as a vice-president. During his tenure he served as a member of the 1979 committee that hired the CCAA’s first executive director, attended the first men’s soccer invitational tournament in 1983 at Vancouver’s Capilano College, and liaised directly with Sport Canada staff during the CCAA’s 1985 funding crisis.
John documented a definitive history of the CCAA’s first 10 years as part of his 1982 master’s thesis, entitled The History and Development of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association - A Struggle for Maturity. “I don't think I've ever encountered anyone like John,” says former CCAA president Chuck Gullickson (1994-96). “He was smart, he was driven and he made a difference!”
In 1984 the OCAA presented Cruickshank with a Shield Award to recognize his contributions to the growth of varsity athletics. From 1992 to 1995 he served as president of the Sports Federation of Canada, which he considered the pinnacle of his sport management career. He would also serve as a vice-president at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton and president of Vancouver Community College, retiring in 1999. In 2003 he was inducted into the OCAA Hall of Fame for his work as a builder.
John Cruickshank is being inducted into the CCAA Hall of Fame posthumously.
Dr. Wayne Halliwell
Wayne Halliwell was Dawson College’s athletic director and hockey coach when he was approached with the idea of getting Quebec involved in a national championship organization. He was present at the initial 1972 meetings and shared the vision of providing college students with the opportunity to compete beyond their province, while also grappling with the idea of how to get it done.
“I had competed in sport at a high level, and felt our student-athletes deserved the same experience,” says Halliwell, who played hockey in the American college system and professionally in Switzerland. “We had a vision of going beyond provincials to a national championship. Once we looked at the number of students attending community colleges across Canada, we realized very quickly that we were deserving of the same kind of support as universities.”
Halliwell played a role in obtaining those statistics, conducting research in Quebec and the Maritimes to determine their sum of potential participants. They were in turn referenced in the group’s successful funding application to Sport Canada.
Once established, Halliwell was named first vice-president of the CCAA under president Don Stouffer. He still remembers the road trip they took from Montreal to Quebec City, navigating the quaint villages of rural Quebec. Although he was involved for only a short time before leaving Dawson College in 1974, the CCAA “was exciting, just in terms of who was involved and what we were accomplishing. We were very focussed and committed but we also had a lot of fun, and there was a nice sense of achievement when it came together.”
Halliwell went on to earn a PhD from Florida State University, then returned to Montreal and joined the Université de Montréal department of kinesiology. Now a world-renowned high-performance sport psychologist, he’s worked with countless professional and amateur athletes. His services have been sought by several NHL franchises and he’s a fixture on the Canadian Olympic team, working with medalists Alex Bilodeau, Jennifer Heil, Joanie Rochette and Chloé and Justine Dufour-Lapointe, to name but a few.
Alex Hoffman
Sport was always part of Alex Hoffman’s life. As both an athlete and coach, his career included basketball, football, and track and field at Lowe Tech in Windsor, Ont., basketball and football at University of Detroit, as well as several Windsor-based baseball and basketball leagues.
He was one of the founders of the OCAA (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association), serving as its basketball convenor (1967-69) and president (1969-71). He was an administrator at St Clair College in Windsor for 28 years (1967-95) serving as the first men’s basketball coach from 1967 to 1980 and twice being named the OCAA Coach of the Year. Additional titles he held at St Clair included director of student services and director of student life, athletics and facilities. During his tenure he expanded St Clair’s varsity program from six to 14 sports, and developed the first athletic scholarship plan in the Ontario college system.
Hoffman was synonymous with the CCAA throughout its formative years. He represented the OCAA in initial discussions in 1972 and went on to serve as the CCAA’s inaugural basketball convenor from 1973 to 1978, founding secretary in 1974 and its second president from 1978 to 1982. Under his leadership the CCAA shaped its constitution, expanded from two to six national championships, conducted a 1978 study examining the participation of women in college sport, and hired its first executive director in 1979. These and other initiatives were made possible by his tireless funding efforts with Sport Canada.
"Dad often spoke fondly of his tenure with CCAA and took great pride in being one of the pioneers who helped build the organization,” says daughter Margaret Hoffman. “He loved to collaborate with his peers across Canada and bring back ideas to improve the programs at St. Clair College. Coach Hoff was a big believer in ‘co-curricular’ activities, a phrase he may have coined himself (you never dared call them ‘extra-curricular’), and considered athletics an integral part of a well-rounded education. We know he would be well pleased with this special honour, and our family thanks the CCAA for recognizing his contribution."
Over the years Hoffman received many accolades, including awards from the Windsor and District Basketball Referees’ Association for outstanding service, a Sport Recognition Award from the Ontario Premier's office, and induction into the St. Clair College Sports Hall of Fame (2005), OCAA Hall of Fame (2005), and the Windsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame (2008).
The CCAA established the Al Hoffman Memorial Scholarship in 2011, presented annually to one full-time CCAA varsity student-athlete attending St Clair College.
Alex Hoffman is being inducted into the CCAA Hall of Fame posthumously.
Gerald (Jerry) N. Lloyd
Jerry Lloyd devoted much of his early career to student athletics. A talented former basketball student-athlete, he completed his bachelor degree and graduate work in the US, graduating from the advanced management program at Harvard Business School. He began his career as a high school teacher before moving on to BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology), to serve as its athletic director. There he coached the men's basketball team, developing lifelong friendships with his players.
“Jerry was a strong supporter of B.C. college athletics,” says former colleague Mal Stelck. “As the athletic director at BCIT, he was acutely aware of the challenges that athletics faced, and was always supportive of ideas that could improve things.”
He was founder and president of B.C.'s Totem Athletic Conference, now known as PACWEST, as well as founder and president of the 4-West Athletic Conference (a predecessor of the CCAA that included B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba). He also served as president of the local high school athletic association, president of the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League and director of B.C. Boys Basketball Association.
He participated in the CCAA's early 1972 meetings as a B.C. representative and later served three terms as a vice-president on the first CCAA executive board (1974-77). During that time he contributed to the constitution and did research on the regionalization of the CCAA’ individual participating conferences.
“He was a valuable resource to anyone involved in the political architecture of college sport,” says Stelck. “He was politically savvy, and could always be counted on to analyse the potential strengths and weaknesses of every situation.”
He would eventually become BCIT’s dean of students, then principal of the aviation campus. After leaving BCIT he dedicated the rest of his career to aviation, serving as president and CEO of the B.C. Aviation Council, executive director of the Aerospace Industry Association of B.C., and chairman of the advisory committee to the board of NavCanada. Jerry received the William Van Horn Visionary Award in 2005 for outstanding leadership and development in air tourism.
Jerry Lloyd is being inducted into the CCAA Hall of Fame posthumously.
Ken Marchant
Ken Marchant attended his first Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association meeting in 1973 as a representative of the Nova Scotia College Conference, now known as the ACAA (Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association). From then on he continually served the national organization in various capacities until his retirement in 1994.
A founding member of the CCAA executive, he served six years as treasurer (1974-80), during which he oversaw an evolving budget and was responsible for purchasing airline tickets for all national championship participants. He served a total of seven years as a regional representative (1981-84, 90-94), as well as men’s soccer convenor (1983-86), and men’s hockey convenor (1985-90), where he used his expertise to establish national championship rules and oversee disciplinary hearings.
Through it all he held the post of athletic director at Nova Scotia Agricultural College, now known as Dalhousie Agricultural Campus. He served as host chair of four CCAA national championships during his 30-year career, and NSAC has the distinction of having hosted 14 overall, more than any other member institution.
“Because of my own background as an athlete, I wanted to provide the opportunity to do your best and give it your all, whatever the level,” says former UNB hockey All-Canadian Marchant. “To give athletes the opportunity to compete at the highest level and further test their skills against other member conferences across this great country, to travel and meet other athletes; they were the reason we did this."
Marchant’s other highlights from the CCAA include attending the first CCAA hockey national championship in Sydney, Nova Scotia in 1975, witnessing an incredible 12-1 comeback in Winnipeg while serving as CCAA hockey convenor, and hosting NSAC’s first CCAA Men’s Soccer National Championship on their newly refurbished soccer field in 1990.
There were also the CCAA annual general meetings, which featured spring skiing at Whistler and beachside lobster boils on Nova Scotia’s north shore. “The meetings were for business but also for socializing,” says Marchant. “It was exciting to meet other administrators from across the country, talk shop and hear their ideas and suggestions for improving the programs for our athletes.”
Despite retirement Marchant is still a welcome presence at the CCAA, attending both the 25th and 30th anniversary celebrations.
“As far as being a part of the CCAA, it was a great ride, and I enjoyed the whole experience. I did the best I could for the national body, and I always felt satisfied about what I did for the athletes.”
Yves Paquette
Yves Paquette had been instrumental in creating Quebec’s intercollegiate athletic league, founded as FASCQ (Fédération des associations sportives collégiales du Québec). Throughout the 1960s he had increased membership, improved athletic participation, and developed the province’s tiered system, making him a natural choice for discussions regarding a national organization.
“We were looking for opportunities to have our students compete against other students [outside Quebec], and that’s when various representatives from across the country got together to see if a national organization could be created,” recalls Paquette. “We’d already put together interprovincial championships with our Ontario colleagues, so it was a natural extension.”
Paquette served as a provincial representative at the first 1972 meeting, developed the CCAA’s membership certificate in 1976, incorporated the CCAA in 1978, and hosted all the 1978 and 1979 CCAA national championships in Quebec’s former Olympic venues, the first time they were all hosted by the same conference.
Despite administrative and political challenges, Paquette ensured the province was an active member of the fledgling national organization. “I think it convinced our colleagues in the rest of the country that we wanted to be there, and wanted to provide those experiences to our students and others across Canada. We tried to create a feeling that no matter our differences, we could play a part in a national experience.” And Paquette says he got as much as he gave. “It was a really fun experience, and there was a lot of foresight and energy from everyone involved; they wanted to create something, and provide student with more than just an academic experience.”
Paquette’s sports legacy also includes founding the Bol d’Or in 1976, Quebec’s provincial football championship which still continues today, the AAA Intercollege hockey league, and editing Sports-Co magazine, a Quebec publication that ran for over 10 years. He worked with FASCQ until 1988, served as president and CEO of CSGA (Canadian Sporting Goods Association), was elected to the board of directors of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry, and served on the committee that banned child labour in the sporting goods industry. He also served as president of the RSEQ (Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec) for eight years.
Today he still lives in the belle province and has fond memories of executive meetings in Quebec City and nail-biting CCAA national championships. “I remember sitting in a packed hockey arena in Sainte Hyacinthe with the executive committee, amazed by the quality of competition and saying ‘who would’ve imagined we’d be attending the CCAA national championship with a standing-room-only crowd?’ It meant the CCAA had come a long way and represented something, not just to the students but as a national sports organization.”
Mal Stelck
Mal Stelck arrived at Selkirk College in Castlegar, B.C. in 1971 with a mandate to build its physical education and athletic programs and coach the men’s hockey team. He would hold the post for a little over a year before he attended a 1972 meeting that would form the CCAA.
Attending as a provincial representative for B.C.’s Totem Athletic Conference (now PACWEST), he would later serve as president of the provincial organization (1975-78), as well as president of the 4-West (1978-79), a precursor to the CCAA which included B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. As a result he had a clear grasp of the capabilities and aspirations of the western provinces, and became a significant contributor to the CCAA. He served one term as a provincial representative (1977-78), two as first vice-president (1979-82), three as president (1982-86), as well as past president (1986-89).
“It was a great privilege getting to know all the parts of this great country and working with others to reach mutually established goals,” says Stelck. “I got to work with some of the nicest people that one could hope to meet.”
It was an era of formative development for the CCAA. Stelck spent time as committee chair of both Constitution and Bylaws as well as Championship Format - Structure, shaping the outcome of both panels. The organization faced serious challenges during his presidency, including the drastic reduction of Sport Canada funding in 1985 and a subsequent attempt at professional fundraising.
But his memories of the CCAA remain fond ones, such as socializing after a good day’s work and enjoying the incredible hospitality provided by the hosts of meetings and championships. “Watching the CCAA national championships and attending the special events that surrounded them was very rewarding.”
Through it all Stelck remained at Selkirk College. He was instrumental in getting its sports and athletic facilities built, became director of student services and college relations, principal of the Castlegar campus, and then vice-president of education. He capped off his working career as vice-president, education and COO at BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology). Meanwhile the Mal Stelck Leadership Award is handed out to Selkirk students every year in honour of his remarkable achievements, and the Mal Stelck Award In Honour of Fair Play is awarded at each CCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship.
“Making a contribution, however small, to the evolution of the CCAA has been an honour and a privilege,” says Stelck. “We old timers cherish the memories and offer our very best wishes to those now working to further the organization’s goals.”
Dr. Don Stouffer
Don Stouffer was instrumental in the founding of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association.
In 1972 he was serving as Mount Royal College’s athletic director, golf coach and hockey coach in Calgary, Alta. He was also an executive member of the ACAC (Alberta College Athletic Conference), which participated in the 4-West Conference, organizing college championships for teams competing in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Stouffer had hopes of creating a national organization, but faced an uphill battle getting his vision off the ground.
“Not everyone was excited about it,” says Stouffer. “So a lot of my politicking was trying to convince reluctant provincial organizations and 4-West members to go beyond the status quo and be less resistant to change. The concept was to provide an opportunity for elite athletes at the college and institute level to pursue excellence in the same way their counterparts at universities did, and providing national championships was a means to achieve that objective.”
He found key allies in Ontario, working with Alex Hoffman and Jack Costello from St Clair College, as well as reaching out to Bucky Buchanan and Ken Marchant in the Atlantic provinces. Although it required piles of paperwork and a hectic travel schedule, “I met some great people,” says Stouffer, “and the meetings were a lot of fun. We knew the hurdles we had to clear, and those involved from the beginning worked tirelessly to bring everyone else around. We had battles with the federal government in Ottawa and difficulty convincing some of the provinces, but we were unrelenting. We just wouldn’t give up; we were persistent to the point where we got it.”
As a result of his extraordinary efforts, Stouffer was named the first president of the CCAA, serving from 1974 until 1979, then served as past president for three years.
His work at Mount Royal College continued until 1997, during which time he served as coordinator of student affairs, physical education chair, dean of the faculty of community and health sciences, and remained as golf coach for 32 years, leading the Cougars to 14 conference titles. He also started the Cougar Booster Club and Cougar Endowment Fund for athletic scholarships, and in 1999 Mount Royal College received the CCAA’s 25th Anniversary Overall Sport Supremacy Award. Stouffer was inducted into Mount Royal’s Wall of Fame in 2010.
Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, the organization he founded still carries his mandate of athletic excellence.
