Softball

Allen Charles Leeder

INDUCTED INTO THE BROCKVILLE & AREA HALL OF FAME JUNE 14, 2002.

A LIFETIME RESIDENT OF BROCKVILLE. AL LEEDER CONTRIBUTED TO THE LOCAL SPORTS SCENE AS AN OUTSTANDING PARTICIPANT IN A HOST OF DISCIPLINES WITH PRIMARY ACHIEVEMENTS IN BASEBALL, SOFTBALL AND HOCKEY. IN ADDITION TO BEING AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT, LEEDER WAS WELL KNOWN TO LOCAL AND EASTERN ONTARIO DISTINCT HOCKEY FANS AS A REFEREE AT ALL LEVELS FROM SENIOR AND JUNIOR “A” THROUGH MINOR HOCKEY FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. AL ALSO HAD A SUCCESSFUL TENURE AS A LONG TIME COACH, MANAGER AND ORGANIZER IN BROCKVILLE SENIOR LITTLE LEAGUE WHERE HE GUIDED MANY TEAMS TO LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS, TWICE MANAGING THE LEAGUE ALL-STARS TO THE CANADIAN FINALS AS ONTARIO CHAMPIONS. LEEDER ALSO REPRESENTED THE MONTEAL EXPOS AS A SCOUT IN THE 1970’S. AL LEEDER EXEMPLIFIED THE SPIRIT OF COMPETITION IN ALL OF HIS SPORTING ENDEAVORS PERSONIFYING THE VIRTUES OF SPORTSMANSHIP AND FAIRPLAY. AL WAS ALWAYS A PROUD REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CITY OF BROCKVILLE.

Barb Sayeau

Inducted into the Brockville and Area Sports Hall of Fame: June 13th, 2024

Barb Sayeau began playing ladies’ softball in Cardinal in 1970 and continued with a number of teams until the early 1990’s. Barb coached minor softball in Johnstown for a number of years.

Along with softball, Barb was heavily involved in women’s hockey. First playing on a women’s team at the age of 14. She played in the Brockville Little Angels for 22 years. For many years, she played broomball, hockey and coached women’s hockey at the same time. She was a volunteer at the first-ever women’s world hockey tournament in Canada in 1990.

Barb devoted her lifetime to amateur sport in the area through participating, coaching and volunteering. Always helping others and always with a laugh.

Her number 2 has been retired by the Brockville Angels and hangs in the Memorial Centre. Barb Sayeau passed away in 2011.

Clayton Collison

INDUCTED INTO THE BROCKVILLE & AREA HALL OF FAME JUNE 13, 1996.

CLAYT COLLISON, AS AN ATHLETE AND A COACH, TOUCHED THE LIVES OF THREE GENERATIONS OF AREA ATHLETES. HE WAS AN OUTSTANDING HOCKEY PLAYER AND SOFTBALL PLAYER. FOR OVER 20 YEARS HE WAS KNOWN AS BOTH AN OUTSTANDING PITCHER WHO WON HUNDREDS OF GAMES AND A HITTER WHO COULD ALWAYS DELIVER IN A CLUTCH SITUATION. CLAYT STARTED HIS COACHING CAREER DURING THE LATE 1950’S AND ENTERED THE 1960’S WITH THE BROCKVILLE DIGGERS. HE GUIDED THE TEAM OF AREA TEENAGERS TO THE ONTARIO JUVENILE ‘A’ AND JUNIOR ‘A’ CHAMPIONSHIPS. HE COACHED BOTH SENIORS AND YOUNGSTERS IN BASEBALL AND ALSO ENJOYED SUCCESS AS A HOCKEY COACH.

COLLISON WAS A FREE-SPIRIT LONG BEFORE THE TERM BECAME FASHIONABLE. HE WAS AN EFFECTIVE COACH WITH MEN, TEENAGERS AND YOUNGSTERS, BEING ABLE TO RELATE TO EACH AGE GROUP ON THEIR OWN TERMS. HE LOVED HIS FAMILY, HE LOVED HIS FRIENDS AND HE LOVED SPORTS. HIS MEMORY WILL REMAIN AN IMPORTANT PART IN THE LIVES OF HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE IN BROCKVILLE AND AREA SPORTS.

Ed St. Louis

Inducted into the Brockville and Area Sports Hall of Fame: June 13th, 2003

Ed St. Louis. While never quite making it to the Professional Leagues. He was, nevertheless, a top amateur athlete. Ed excelled in three sports – baseball, softball and hockey. Ed was a catcher in the Cardinal Minor Baseball Association. The highlight of his playing days was in 1954 when he signed with the Boston Red Sox for a tryout with their farm team. Ed played for the Cardinal Pats Softball Team for over 25 years as the battery mate for Hall of Famer Ted Hoy.

He excelled at Hockey as a Defenceman. The Boston Bruins had Ed’s name on their negotiation list, which led to tryouts with the Junior “A” Oshawa Generals. He played two years with the Baltimore Clippers in the Eastern League. As a senior hockey player, Ed played into his 60’s.

Gerald Shorty Wormington

Inducted into the Brockville and Area Sports Hall of Fame June 15th, 2012.

Gerald “Shorty” Wormington was a gifted athlete in many sports.

He was Prescott’s ace pitcher in Junior and Senior Baseball and their best hitter when he switched to softball. He played shortstop and continued his hitting prowess.

In hockey he was a smooth playmaking centre described by Sly Apps of the Toronto Maple Leafs as having big league material.

In 1944-45 he had 75 points in 19 games to lead Prescott Juniors to win The St. Lawrence Junior “B” League Championships and the Gill Cup and the Ottawa District Junior “B” tile and the Citizenship Shield.

Jack Buell

INDUCTED INTO THE BROCKVILLE & AREA HALL OF FAME JUNE 14, 2012.

JACK BUELL WAS AN ACCOMPLISHED ATHLETE IN SOFTBALL, RUGBY AND JUNIOR HOCKEY. WHEN HE WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL IN BROCKVILLE. HE PLAYED SENIOR HOCKEY AND THREE YEARS OF SEMI-PRO HOCKERY BEFORE ENLISTIN IN THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE FOR FIVE YEARS WHERE HE PLAYED FOOTBALL AND HOCKEY FOR THE RCAF TEAM IN THE EARLY 1940’S.

HE COACHED THE BROCKVILLE MAGEDOMAS TO TWO ONTARIO-NEW TORK TITLES IN 1951 AND 1952. HE IS WELL REMEMBERED AS A HOCKEY REFEREE IN THE O.D.H.A. FOR 25 YEARS. BUELL, WHO LOVED SPORT FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF IT, DIED IN 1992.

Joe Doyle

Inducted into the Brockville and Area Sports Hall of Fame: June 11th, 2004

Joe Doyle was an athlete and a manager. He played defence for the Cardinal Redbirds in the early 40’s and helped them win the Eastern Ontario Championship and the Citizen Shield as a manager of the Prescott Jr. “B” Saints in the 50’s. He would win another Citizen Shield.

Joe also managed a travelling softball team named Doyle’s Dearies in the 50’s. For 50 years, his main love has & been curling. He has been a member of the Prescott Curling Club for over 50 years. In 2000, he received a lifetime curling membership from the club. In 1985, he won the Legion District Curling Championship, curling with Tracey Delaney, Frank Jenkinson and Bob Burford. He would then compete in the Provincial Curling Championship in Guelph, compiling a 4-5 record. A modest man, Joe doesn’t think he did anything except “keep things together,” but that’s what makes a great manager and this is Joe Doyle.

Lawrence Fox

Inducted into the Brockville and Area Sports Hall of Fame June 9th, 2017

Lawrence Fox has always been heavily involved in sports in Brockville. Starting at an early age in the 50’s, he started off playing Minor Baseball, but earned a reputation of in Softball with the Brockville Diggers as a good hitter and an outstanding third baseman, earning the Nickname “Scoop” from his teammates. He earned all-star recognition with the Diggers for five years in the Kingston League. He was a talented player in minor and junior hockey until breaking a leg in hockey playoffs in the Spring of 1961. After that, he turned to coaching in minor hockey and minor baseball, winning a number of championships. Lawrence was also a longtime baseball and fastball umpire in Brockville and the area for youth and adult leagues.

Ray McClure

INDUCTED INTO THE BROCKVILLE & AREA HALL OF FAME JUNE 12, 1998.

RAY STARTED COACHING BOTH MEN’S AND LADIES SOFTBALL TEAMS IN THE MID 40’S. HE COACHED THE LADIES PHILLIPS LOCAL 510 TO CITY CHAMPIONSHIPS. HE WAS COACH OF THE MENS’ TEAMS THAT WON BOTH THE CITY AND EOASA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ’47 AND ’48. IN 1950, RAY STARTED HIS 17-YEAR ASOCIATION WITH THE BROCKVILLE POLICE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION COACHING THE LADIES P.A.A. ALL STARS WINNING SEVERAL CITY CHAMPIONSHIPS AND THE IOASA JUVENILE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1951.
FROM ’58 -’72 HE COACHED THE WIL-MIN-NELLS IN THE LEEDS AND GRENVILLE LADIES SOFTBALL LEAGUE, WINNING SEVERAL CHAMPIONSHIPS.

RAY WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE BROCKVILLE GIRLS SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION IN 1969, PRESIDENT IN 1971 AND THEN UMPIRE AND UMPIRE-IN-CHIEF FOR MANY YEARS. RAY HAS ALSO BEEN INVOLVED IN FUNDRAISING FOR THE ORIGINAL BROCKVILLE MEMORIAL CENTRE, THE BROCKVILLE BRAVES IN THEIR EARLY YEARS, AND THE P.A.A.

Wayne McManus

Inducted into the Brockville and Area Sports Hall of Fame: June 9, 1994

Wayne George Elson McManus has devoted all of his life to sports in the Athens Area. He played, coached, umpired and helped to organize the Intertownship Softball League from 1959 to 1970. He was a member of the fundraising committee for Centre 76, coached the Athens Senior Girls Softball Team in 1982, and umpired various leagues until 1985. On the Athens Athletic Assoc. 1968 to 1970, Asst. Manager of Athens Junior “C” Hockey from 1966 to 1968 and on the executive in 1968-69. He has been the manager of the Athens Aeros Junior “B” Team since 1969. He was honoured as Athens Citizen of the Year in 1993.