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1954 Winnipeg Cagers On The World Stage
Posted on February 1, 2022
Nominated for two Oscars at the 1987 Academy Awards, “Hoosiers”, perhaps the best basketball movie-to-date, focuses on the true story of the 1954 Milan High School Indians winning the Indiana High School Boys Basketball Tournament despite overwhelming odds. The year 1954 also featured Canada facing heavy odds at the FIBA World Men’s Basketball Championships held October 23 to November 5 in Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once ...
Canada At The 1952 Olympic Games
Posted on February 1, 2022
1952 Olympics. Helsinki, Finland. Messuhalli Olympic Basketball Arena. 9th place tied with Czechoslovakia. Roster: Ralph ‘Woody’ Campbell, Bill Coulthard, Jim Curren, Charlie Dalton, Benny Lands, Bill Pataky, Glen Pettinger, Bob Phibbs, Bob Pickell, Carl Ridd, Bob Simpson, Henry Wade, George Wearring, Roy Williams along with manager Eddie Bowering and coach Paul Thomas. Canada will continue to go with the format that the winner of t ...
Like father, like son: Olympics referee Michael Weiland shares extraordinary accomplishment with father John
Posted on October 7, 2021
When the ball went up for the USA vs France men’s basketball gold medal game at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, it would make sense to assume that all eyes were on Bam Adebayo and Rudy Gobert at centre court. While this was certainly the case for almost all of the audience watching from home, for John and Heather Weiland, watching live from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the players were secondary to game official Michael Weiland, also known as their son. ...
Canadian men’s basketball team’s improbable journey to the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games
Posted on July 27, 2021
The 1964 Canadian men’s basketball team faced many daunting hurdles in order to qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. More details can be viewed here. ...
Introducing: The 40 Ways Of The Fox by Fox Founder, Ron Foxcroft
Posted on June 16, 2021
In The 40 Ways of the Fox, Ron Foxcroft lights the way for new entrepreneurs and business veterans alike. Ron details how he negotiated his way out of high school, enjoyed a 23-year career as a clandestine Canadian referee in the highest reaches of NCAA men’s basketball, built a sweeping transport business and created a revolutionary whistle sold in 140 countries. Among the accompanying Way of the Fox rules… – How to ask leaders in ...
Canadian Basketball In The 1930s’
Posted on May 30, 2021
Start your engines. In 1923-24 the Canadian Amateur Basketball Association created a national championship for men’s basketball. The powerhouse teams of that decade would be the Winnipeg Toilers (1925-27) and New Westminster Adanacs (1928-30), each claiming back-to-back titles. West coast dominance was prominent in the 1930s’ with teams from Vancouver and Victoria dribbling to four and three championships respectively. During this decade, teams fr ...
Canadian Basketball Stars Of The 1920s’
Posted on May 21, 2021
One of the most common complaints from fans during the formative years of basketball was that the opaque wooden backboards obstructed their view of the game. So, it was in 1917 that the Indiana University Hoosiers installed the first glass backboard. Hoosiers have had a rich basketball history highlighted by five NCAA men’s basketball championships. Such is their foundation, that according to a 2019 study, it is the fifth most valuable collegiate ba ...
Dunking With The Duke
Posted on April 12, 2021
August 2, 1952 and a group of young Canadians are in a rush to get to Messuhalli Olympic Basketball Arena for the gold medal men’s basketball game. It’s the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland and the USA are prepared to take on the USSR for a 4 p.m. tipoff. Earlier in the week, July 27, to be precise, Canada’s men’s basketball team, coached by 24 year-old Paul Thomas, had been knocked out of the competition with a 81-65 loss to t ...
Sleeping giant: Why Canadian basketball is just beginning its awakening
Posted on April 10, 2021
In 1976, it took an autograph and favour from an Olympian to help a younger Canadian player reach the national team. Fifty-five years later, those broad strokes remain true. But an increased development structure has allowed the Canadian basketball pipeline to explode. That Olympian was Liz Silcott, who played for Canada at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. The younger player was Denise Dignard, a long-time national team member and current director of women ...
Former Canuck Cager Looks Back at Teammate Elgin Baylor
Posted on March 23, 2021
It’s March 21, 1958 and the National Collegiate Championship Association (NCAA) Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament semi-final matchup features the Seattle University Chieftains (now known as the Redhawks) and the Kansas State Wildcats. It’s late in the game at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky with the Chieftains holding a comfortable lead. The whistle blows and into the game for the Chieftains is 6-foot-2 guard Jon-Lee Kootnekoff weari ...