Coach K receives national honor

CIS Annual Awards
Micallef, Konchalski, Clayton honoured
Courtesy Canadian Interuniversity Sport

MONT-TREMBLANT, Que. (CIS) – Television personality Tim Micallef, basketball coaching legend Steve Konchalski and long-time wrestling coach and administrator Francis Clayton were honoured by Canadian Interuniversity Sport on Wednesday night.

The awards banquet was held at the Mont-Tremblant Conference Center in Mont-Tremblant, Que., as part of CIS’ annual general meeting.

Micallef received the Fred Sgambati Media Award, presented annually by CIS to a member of media in recognition of his/her major contribution to the development and growth of Canadian university sport.

Konchalski was the recipient of the Jean-Marie De Koninck Coaching Excellence Award, presented since 2007 to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to university sport as demonstrated by long-term commitment and leadership as a coach at the local, provincial national and/or international levels of Canadian university sport.

Clayton received the Austin-Matthews Award, presented annually to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to interuniversity sport, as demonstrated by his/her long-term commitment and leadership as a coach, director, chairperson and/or executive committee member at the local, provincial and/or national levels of Canadian interuniversity sport.

“These three individuals are emblematic of the hard work and effort invested in the delivery of a successful sports product,” said CIS president Clint Hamilton. “They are champions of CIS, and we are certainly appreciative of their long-standing contributions to the growth of university sport in Canada.”

Micallef has been the voice of the OUA University Rush football broadcasts since they premiered on The Score Television Network in September of 2002. Over the past eight years, The Score has aired 71 OUA football games including the 102nd Yates Cup final on Nov. 14, 2009, which became the most-watched OUA event in history with an average audience of 129,249 fans and a peak of 203,000. The entire University Rush season enjoyed record ratings in 2009 with an average of 65,729 faithful tuning in over 10 weeks.

The co-anchor of both Score Tonight and Score on NFL, Micallef called his first CIS event in 2001 when The Score broadcast the Dino Cup men’s volleyball tournament in Calgary. In addition to OUA football, he has since done play-by-play for OUA men’s and women’s basketball and hockey, three CIS women’s basketball championships, four CIS men’s basketball Final Eights, six CIS football Bowl games, as well as three Vanier Cup finals.

Micallef and The Score have been true partners of OUA over the past decade. Each year, The Score brings in the top OUA football players for a promotional video shoot that airs on the network during all its programming, and also airs OUA’s public service announcement, Champions for Life. Micallef volunteers his services for both these initiatives and has also volunteered his time at numerous OUA press conferences and other events throughout the years.

“Tim’s dedication, work ethic and professionalism is second to none. He is an outstanding ambassador of University Sport in Canada,” said OUA Executive Director, Ward Dilse. “In his honour, OUA unveiled the Tim Micallef bobblehead in the fall of 2006 as a lasting image of his contribution to our organization.”

Konchalski, who completed his 35th season at the helm of the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men in 2009-10, is the winningest coach in CIS men’s basketball history with a career overall record of 755 wins and 403 losses (.652). Coach K, as he is known in hoops circles, surpassed former Brandon bench boss Jerry Hemmings (734 wins) on Nov. 6, 2009 when his troops defeated UPEI 94-83 in Charlottetown.

Over his distinguished career in Antigonish, N.S., Konchalski has led the X-Men to 34 consecutive playoff appearances dating back to 1977, nine AUS titles, 14 appearances at the CIS championship and three national crowns in 1993, 2000 and 2001. Named CIS coach of the year at the end of the 2000-01 campaign, he has received the same honour from AUS on six occasions, most recently in 2005-06.

A graduate of Acadia (1966) and Dalhousie (1969), the native of Elmhurst, NY, claimed a CIS title as a player with the Axemen back in 1965 when he was named MVP of the national championship. While coaching at StFX, he had a 16-year stint as an assistant with the Canadian national team from 1972 to 1988 including three Olympic Game appearances (1976, 1984, 1988) and had a second tour of duty with the national squad from 1995 to 1998, this time as the head coach. Since 2009, he has been a member of Basketball Canada’s Council of Excellence, serving as an advisor to the national team program.

Konchalski was inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 (coaching category), the Acadia Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 (athlete), the StFX Sports Hall of Fame in both 2001 (builder) and 2008 (team – 1993 CIS champions) and the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 (builder). In 1999, he was the inaugural recipient of the Frank Baldwin Memorial Award for dedication to basketball in Nova Scotia.

“As a result of his extensive success at the university, provincial and national team stage, Coach Konchalski’s name belongs in the upper echelon of the all-time great coaches in Canada,” said StFX Director of Athletics, Leo MacPherson. “The number of wins speaks for itself, but his real legacy has more to do with the quality of young men that he has brought to the university and how he has helped prepare them to graduate and become leaders. I count myself amongst those former players fortunate enough to benefit from his teachings.”

Clayton’s impressive career in wrestling as an athlete, coach and builder began at Lakeview High School in Thunder Bay where he was a national junior silver medallist in 1978 and 1979. He joined the Lakehead University team in 1981 and, as a freshman, was crowned CIS champion at 68 kilograms. That same year, he started coaching the Thunder Bay Wrestling Club’s boy’s team before taking over as head coach of the Lakehead program in 1985, a post he held until 2005. One of the few Level 5 wrestling coaches in Canada, he was head coach of the junior national team in 1999.

At the end of the 2005-06 season, he had to step down from the position due to a serious back injury but has since remained involved at Lakehead as Manager of Campus Recreation, Club Sports and Sports Camp.

Clayton’s contribution to wrestling has been recognized on many occasions over the years. He was named OUA men’s coach of the year four times and women’s coach of the year once, and twice captured the same honour at the CIS level (1994-95, 2001-02), both times for his success at the helm of the Thunderwolves men’s team. He was the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association (CAWA) coach of the year in 1995, was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame as a builder in 2001 and, in 2004, received the Ontario Amateur Wrestling Association’s Harry Peace Award presented annually to a person who worked diligently to advance the management and organization of the OAWA.

One of the strong proponents and developers of CIS women’s wrestling - which made its debut in 1998-99 – Clayton’s work extends well beyond Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario. He has served on innumerable provincial and national committees and has contributed many guides and programs for OAWA, CAWA and the world body of wrestling, FILA, for which he produced the Level One Coaching Guide that was distributed in 160 countries worldwide.

“Francis has been a champion CIS athlete, a top CIS coach, a builder and developer of wrestling in Thunder Bay, Northwestern Ontario, OUA, CIS, Canada and internationally from the grassroots level to the world and Olympic levels,” said Lakehead Athletic Director, Tom Warden. “He clearly represents the highest ideals of the Austin-Matthews Award.”  

Fred Sgambati Media Award recipients:
2010 Tim Micallef, The Score Television Network
2009 Howard Tsumura, The Province (Vancouver)
2008 Pierre Durivage, Productions Rivage (Montreal)
2007 Bill Sturrup (posthumous), CHML Radio (Hamilton)
2006 Serge Vleminckx, Journal de Montréal
2005 Ian Hamilton, Regina Leader-Post
2004 Jean-Paul Ricard, La Tribune (Sherbrooke)
2003 John Short, Edmonton Journal / CJCA Radio
2002 Wayne Kondro, The Ottawa Citizen / Southam News
2001 Phil Lachapelle & Ken Welsh, CHTV Hamilton
2000 CHRW (Radio Western Ontario University)
1999 Christine Rivet, Kitchener-Waterloo Record
1998 Robert MacLeod, Globe and Mail
1997 Paul Hendrick, ONTV
1996 Ken Newans, CFCN-TV (Calgary)
1995 Not awarded
1994 Bruce Perrin, TSN
1993 Not awarded
1992 Serge Vleminckx, Journal de Montréal
1991 Not awarded
1990 Ken Fathers, Windsor Star
1989 Ken Newans, CFCN-TV (Calgary)
1988 Norm Marshall, CHCH-TV
1987 Peter Watts, TSN / Don Lovegrove, Hamilton Spectator
1986 Pete James, CFPL TV
1985 Scott Mathews, Atlantic Television Network
1984 John Hancock, CBC-Radio Montreal
1983 Al Ryan, Toronto Star
1982 Scott Taylor, Winnipeg Free Press / Normand Legere, Evangeline Moncton
1981 Mike Murray, The Hockey News / Henry Pasila, CHCH TV
1980 Wally Sears, Sackville
1979 Henry Viney, CFCN Calgary
1978 Not awarded
1977 Randy Phillips, The Gazette (Montreal)
1976 Bill Johns, Kitchener-Waterloo Record
1975 Jim Crerar, Victoria Daily Times
1974 Hugh Townsend, Halifax Chronicle Herald
1973 Jim Vipond, Globe and Mail
1972 Bob Gage, London Free Press

Jean-Marie De Koninck Coaching Excellence Award recipients:
2010 Steve Konchalski, men’s basketball, St. Francis Xavier
2009 Larry Haylor, football, Western Ontario
2008 Lou Pero, men’s basketball, Lakehead
2007 Linda Marquis, women’s basketball, Laval

Austin-Matthews Award recipients:
2010 Francis Clayton
2009 Robert Dubeau
2008 Ross Wilson
2007 Barb Mullaly
2006 Lyle Sanderson
2005 Aubrey Ferris
2004 Not awarded
2003 Val Schneider
2002 Joyce Fromson
2001 Darwin Semotiuk
2000 Jean-François Grenier
1999 Not awarded
1998 Don Wells
1997 Rich Newbrough
1996 Keith Harris
1995 Ken & Donna Fultz
1994 Mary Lyons
1993 Robert Hindmarch
1990-92 Not awarded
1989 Carl Totzke
1988 Not awarded
1987 Robert Descheneaux
1986 Marilyn Pomfret
1985 Ed Zemrau
1984 Dr. Vance Toner
1983 Gladys Bean
1982 Elizabeth Chard
1981 Robert Pugh

L.B. “Mike” Pearson Award recipients:
2010 Not awarded
2009 Not awarded
2008 Not awarded
2007 Not awarded
2006 Dr. Jean-Marie De Koninck
2005 Sylvia Fedoruk
2004 Not awarded
2003 Ed Zemrau
2002 Dr. Robert Brodrick
2001 Dick Pound
2000 Paul Giannelia
1999 Dr. Sean Riley   
1998 Not awarded
1997 Carol Anne Letheren
1996 Doug Mitchell
1995 John Cleghorn
1994 Senator Trevor Eyton
1986-93 Not awarded
1985 George Springate
1984 Dr. Hugh Noble
1981-83 Not awarded
1980 The Right Honourable Roland Michener
1976-79 Not awarded
1975 Angus Duncan McLachlin
1973-74 Not awarded
1972 The Right Honourable L.B.  “Mike” Pearson

About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Fifty-two universities, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit www.cis-sic.ca.