Media Release - For Immediate Release
September 17 2010
Sports Heroes Enshrined in Hall
Photos:( From top to bottom) The 1988 football team in action; President J. Colin Dodds hands out certificates to the inductees; 1988 Team representative Bill Scollard addresses the crowd; Inductee Chuck Goddard holds his protrait; Brian Burgess; Artist Barbara Elaine Dorey, inducted into the Hall as Artist in Residence. |
A goalie, an all-star defensive halfback and the 1988 Atlantic Bowl Football Champions were inducted into the Saint Mary's University Sport Hall of Fame and Heritage Centre before a full-house September 18.
Coming on the heels of a season that included a national hockey victory and four AUS titles, the crowd in the Courtside Lounge was in a boisterous mood as Hall Chair Paul Puma stepped to the microphone to get the 16th annual induction ceremony underway.
With Saint Mary’s rich sports heritage and deep talent pool, he said it was hard for the nomination committee to single out individual players or teams, but they struggled through numerous nominations, and were pleased in the end to recommend that left-handed goalie Chuck Goddard, two-sport athlete Brian Burgess and the 1988 Huskies Football Team take their places alongside other Huskie greats.
Speaking on behalf of the football team, Bill Scollard told the crowd the 1988 team may have fallen just short of a national championship, but after a disaterous decade on the gridiron, it set the stage for the next decade of football players by learning how to win.
When it was Chuck Goddard's turn to address the crowd, he downplayed his spectacular 81-5 record on the ice, choosing instead to reminisce about the good times in the locker room and the academic opportunities that Saint Mary's presented him.
"There are a lot of stories being told here today," quipped Puma at one point. "And some of them are even true."
Brian Burgess was unable to attend the ceremony, but Former Coach Doug Wright stepped in and talked about Burgess's "superhuman" accomplishments on the basketball court and on the football field.
Also at the ceremony Artist Barbara Elaine Dorey was homoured as Artist-In-Residence in recognition of her commitment to the Hall itself. She has painted each of the 51 portraits of individuals and teams that hang in the Hall. She said she is inspired by the athletes and tries to paints with the same commitment to discipline and goal setting she sees in them.
INDUCTEES
Brian Burgess
Brian Burgess may be the only Saint Mary’s athlete to have played on two national championship teams in the same year in two different sports: basketball and football.
The burly New Englander was recruited to play basketball in 1973 and was a member of the squad that won national championship by beating out Lakehead University at Waterloo.
At the close of the season though, he thought he might try his hand at football, a game he loved at high school. The team had already played two pre-season games but Coach Al Keith allowed him to come to one practice and tryout.
His speed and natural athleticism were evident and he became a fixture of the team. Any ruffled feathers over his late start disappeared when he intercepted two passes in the opening game, running one 106 yards for a touchdown.
Doug Wright, a football coach for more than a dozen years, said Burgess was a team player and one of the finest athletes he’s had the pleasure of coaching.
He also remembers that Burgess’ mother and father drove up from Massachusetts for every one of their son’s games.
Burgess’ induction will actually be his second trip to the Hall. The defensive halfback was first inducted in 1986 as part of the 1973 Football team. In the Cinderella season of 1973, his play was outstanding as the team became the first Atlantic University to win a national championship, beating the McGill Redmen 14-6 in a Toronto final.
Burgess was a four time AUAA All Star and two time All Canadian (76 and 78). He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1976, but was cut in the pre-season. He returned to Saint Mary's and 1979 played in the nationally televised Can-Am Bowl in Fort Lauderdale.
"To this day my brothers tease me that I was beat for a touchdown pass on national television," says Burgess.
Burgess has worked for the past 20 years as a sales representative for Martignetti Corp. the largest wine and spirits distributor in New England..
Charles “Chuck” Goddard
Chuck Goddard was already a star when he came to Saint Mary’s.
From the time he first strapped on a pair of goalie skates he seemed able to turn aside shots from the most talented players. In Minor hockey he backstopped three Ontario championship teams before jumping to the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey Association.
He played five seasons with the Petes, capturing the Best Goaltender Award in 1962, All Star Honours in 1962 and 1963 and the Memorial Cup in 1964. Between 1966 and 1968 he was scouted by various NHL teams, attended a Montreal Canadiens training camp served briefly as a back up goalie for both the Canadiens and the Minnesota North Stars and played with a variety of AHL, EHL and CPHL teams including the Cleveland Baarons, the Memphis South Stars, the Denver Spurrs, the Charlotte Checkers and the Long Island Ducks.
He came to Saint Mary in 1969 and proceeded to set a CIAU/CIS record for shutouts by a goaltender that stood for 35 years. He had a playing record of 81 wins and five losses in league play and led the team to four AUAA and four CIAU championships. He was an AUAA All Star four times a CIAU All Star in 69-70 and was the CIAU Championship’s Most Valuable Player of the Game in 1969. He was the University’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1972.
Brian O’Byrne, Captain of the Huskies from 69-71 recalls Goddard’s contribution to the team as heroic.
“He simply put the hockey team on the national map and on national television.
After graduation Goddard played with the AHL’s Boston Braves and the Chicago Cougars of the World Hockey Association.
After hockey he moved back to Nova Scotia where he works in the justice system.
The 1988 Football Team
When the 1988 edition of the Huskies Football Team took to the field for the first time, the air was electric with anticipation. Gone were the memories of lean years early in the mid-decade when the team stumbled and had only been able to post a win or two. At top of mind was the previous year, 1987 season when the team went 5-2 in regular season, won the Atlantic Conference and earned a place in the Atlantic bowl for the first time in 14 years.
Although the ’87 team lost by a single point to McGill, the eventual Vanier Cup winner, the excitement of the moment carried through to the next season and was evident on the faces of the team as they took to the field for each practice. They would not disappoint.
With Coach Larry Uteck behind the bench and QB Chris Flynn guiding the attack, the team went 7-0 for the regular season. The team defeated Acadia 37-35 to claim a Atlantic conference and then whipped Bishops 44-10 in the Atlantic Bowl, earning the team its first ever appearance in the Vanier Cup.
Flynn was phenomenal during the season completing 58 per cent of his passes for over 2000 yards. He scrambled an average of 293 yards per game and carried the ball 59 times. He threw 21 touchdowns passes and scored three himself. Across the league the team was rated first in offence and second in defence.
The team lost to the Calgary Dinosaurs in the Toronto game, but the season long effort earned the team a lot of respect and some impressive hardware: Uteck won the Frank Tindall Trophy as Coach of the Year and Chris Flynn took home the Hec Crighton Trophy as the outstanding University Football Player in Canada. Flynn, Linebacker Scott Dunthorne and Guard Louis Olsacher were named to the 1988 All-Canadian Team. Tight end Brian Smith and Lineman Doug Mackenzie made the CIAU/CUFCA All-Canadian Second Team. Dunthorne, with 22 initial tackles, 34 assisted tackles and 3.5 QB sacks was a nominee for the CIAU Presidents’ Trophy.
The teams official roster for the year included: Chris Flynn, Kelly Connors, Doug Mackenzie, Ken Walcott, Cecil Currie, Andy Peters, Doug Smith, Jerry Foster, Russel Cooper, Bill Scollard. Dan Radford, Mike Caron, John Wedderburn, Peter Neuman, Barry Richardson, John Murray, Phil Matzat, Jody Hubert, Anthony Williams, Scott Dunthorne, Mike Korecki, Gus Karouzakis, Rob Brennan, Louis Olsacher, Paul Tonet, Richard McLean, Mario Vani, Steve Kazakis, Dwayne Brosseau, Greg Foran, Dale Morgan, Scott Nuttal, Todd Barter, Jim Fitzsimmons, Greg Curwin, Randy McLeod, Konstant Nicolopoulos, Matthew Nealton, Tim McIntyre, Brian Smith Tom Lee, Brian Johnston, Kevin Reade, Ian MacDonald, Gord Lusby, and Steve Doherty. Head Coach Larry Uteck. Assistant Coaches were Al Keith, Pierre Lefebvre, Gord MacLeod, Stewart Francis, Bill Robinson, Neville Connoly, Wayne Kirk, Kevin Aver, and Gord Fumerton. Manager was Paul Mason. Ann Cox was Trainer.
The team’s work ethic and accomplishments provided the foundation for the success of the teams that followed.
For more than 200 years, students, faculty and staff have shared a sport tradition at Saint Mary’s as athletes, builders and teams. The purpose of the Saint Mary's University Sport Hall of Fame and Heritage Centre is to recognize individuals who have made a significant contribution to the athletic programs at Saint Mary's, and who, as a result of this contribution, have enhanced the image and reputation of the institution. In celebration of the rich tradition and heritage of sport and recreation at Saint Mary's University, the Sport Hall of Fame and Heritage Centre was founded in 1995.
For more information on past inductees, check out the Hall of Fame website.
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For More Information:
Steve Proctor
External Affairs
Saint Mary's University
(902) 420.5513
E-mail: steve.proctor@smu.ca
www.smu.ca
This page last modified Tuesday, 11-Jan-2011 11:52:01 AST