McCullough success attributable in part to Fredericton
Wall of Famer
Class of 2011: 6 members added to Wall; top athlete, volunteer to be
saluted May 7
By Bill Hunt
Published in the Daily Gleaner on Friday March 20, 2011
Appeared on page B2
The fruits of Terry McIntyre's labour will become evident on
Saturday, May 7 at the Delta Inn.
That's when six-foot-three, 240-pound professional football player
Dan McCullough will step forward to accept the Myer and Jack Budovitch
Award as Fredericton's athlete of the year.
At least a small piece of it will belong to McIntyre, the veteran
volunteer who has worn many helmets in his career as president, coach,
official, publicity co-ordinator and jack of all trades within the
Capital Area Minor Football Association, an organization that has grown
from six teams and 125 players when he first got involved to 46 teams
and 908 players under his stewardship.
One of the players he coached as a pee wee was McCullough, a
13-year-old pee wee player at the time.
"I'm very pleased that Dan is going to be there the same
night," said McIntyre, who will reluctantly take a bow of his own
that evening as one of the six inductees onto the Fredericton Sports
Wall of Fame.
McIntyre, former Fredericton High School basketball coach Steve
O'Rourke, Fredericton native and current commissioner of hockey's ECHL
Brian McKenna, the late Roy "Hammy" Kitchen, who managed
championship softball and hockey teams in the 1950s, '60s and '70's,
multi-sport athlete Pat Dobie, inducted into the New Brunswick Sports
Hall of Fame last year and so an automatic selection to the shrine in
her hometown, and the Ecole Sainte-Anne Castors high school girls
volleyball teams which won consecutive A, AA and AAA high school
championships from 1980-81 through 1982-83 will be inducted that
evening.
In addition, Kim Hepditch was named winner of the William MacGillvary
Award as Fredericton's outstanding volunteer and community worker for
her long career as a volunteer in minor hockey, in community
organizations, and now as a volleyball coach at Nashwaaksis Middle
School.
McIntyre remembers McCullough, now a veteran with the B.C. Lions of
the Canadian Football League, as a youngster.
"Right from the start, he was always 'yes sir, no sir' and
anything you did for him was 'Thank you, sir.' That kind of hits you in
the nose, because sadly, it's not common," said McIntyre.
"He was always a character kind of player, a character kid right
from the start. If you had told me back then that he would play in the
CFL, I never would have said that, because I had a heck of a time
teaching him how to contain. But he came a long way. Whenever I see him,
I tell him 'You've got to tell everybody that I taught you everything
you know.' He kind of grins, I'm going to get him up there on the stage
on May 7 and get him to come clean."
McCullough's mom, Joanne Levinson was on hand to acknowledge
McCullough's selection as Fredericton's top athlete.
"He was very surprised and honoured," she said. "I
reached him the other night and he said 'I'm coming home May 7.' So it's
a bonus for me."
She said McIntyre told her that her son "took to football like a
fish took to water. So, Terry," she said. "Thank you for
helping out all the fishes."
O'Rourke, who will retire from teaching at the end of the school
year, called his selection to the sports shrine "a very close
second" among the highlights of a coaching career that spanned 34
years, included 22 provincial championships and 1,125 wins.
"No. 1 for me would have to be winning championships with both
my daughters," said O'Rourke. "That was really, really neat. I
would put this right there. It's the closest second you could possibly
get."
O'Rourke has taken up refereeing volleyball to replace his coaching
vice. He was in the Ecole Sainte-Anne gym in that capacity as recently
as Tuesday night. Cheryl Mantha-Richard was also there, cheering on her
14-year-old daughter Claire, who is continuing the tradition of
excellence first established by her mom and her teammates 30 years ago.
There were 14 players on coach Mike LeBlanc's teams through those
dominating days.
"It's an honour to have our coach still around with us and still
in our lives," said Mantha-Richard, the captain and setter on those
teams. "We were a good team. We played hard. And we were a family
too."
Ecole Sainte-Anne had a student population of just 82 at the time.
Mantha-Richard is an ardent supporter of the current Castors,
following the team everywhere they go. But the team will be at a
prestigious tournament in Sherbrooke, Que. May 7. Mantha-Richard and her
mates will be here.
"We just loved doing what we were doing," she said.
"We were there (Wednesday) night, and I said to one of the parents,
'I've spent my life in this gym, and in every other gym in New
Brunswick."
Mantha-Richard went on to a post-secondary career at the University
of Ottawa and represented the province at the Canada Winter Games.
"It's brought me to great places," she said. "It's
humbling for our whole team,"
McKenna sent an e-mail saying he was "honoured to have been
selected for the Sports Wall of Fame. I still consider Fredericton to be
my home town. I appreciate the opportunities that I was given to play
and coach in Fredericton...I look forward to May 7 for the opportunity
to say thank you in person."
Hepditch called winning the MacGillivary Award, "an extreme
honour. I'm thrilled to accept an award in honour of a man who so
dedicated his life to sport in many different manners."
Hepditch continues to volunteer -- she's among the army of volunteers
working at the Cavendish Farms University Cup tournament. Son Josh, of
course, is a member of the host UNB Varsity Reds.
Hepditch doesn't plan to slow down any time soon.
"There's lots of time to be still when you're not here,"
she said. "So I'd rather be out there and active when I have the
opportunity."
Tickets for the dinner and induction ceremony cost $75 and are
available at the Fredericton Recreation Office, MacTavish for Sport or
from any member of Fredericton Sports Investments Ltd. For ticket
inquiries, call Scott Walker after 5 p.m. at 472-2118 or Tim Gillies at
458-3180 during the day. |
