About the Sports Wall of Fame

The Sports Wall of Fame was established in 1990 by the City of Niagara Falls.  Its objective is to honour and perpetuate the names and deeds of those individuals whose athletic abilities have brought fame to themselves and their community, and of those individuals whose interest in and work for sport has resulted in a climate which benefited athletes and athletics. There are three categories: AthleteTeam and Builder.

The Sports Wall of Fame Sponsor Award is presented to a corporation or group in recognition of a minimum of five years significant contribution to sports in the City of Niagara Falls.

Inductees are recognized by a plaque which contains a picture of the individual, along with a condensed biography. This plaque is placed in a special cabinet "Place of Honour", and then it is displayed in the designated area chosen as "Sports Wall of Fame" at the Niagara Falls Memorial Arena. A plaque and certificate are also presented to the individual or a family member.

Front row, left to right: Emily Allan, Jim Atack, Paul Campigotto, Bill Irvine, Paisley Janvary-Pool, Chairperson.
Back Row, left to right: Dr. Bill Leskiw, Gary MacDonald, Brian Mulligan, Gord Singleton.
Missing from photo: Mayor Jim Diodati, Honourary Chair, Mike Strange, and Mick Wolfe.

 

List of Committee Members

Executive Committee

  • Mayor James M. Diodati, Honourary Chair
  • Paisley Janvary-Pool, Chair
  • Paul Campigotto, Era Chair Pre 1980
  • Gord Singleton, Era Chair 2001-Present

Committee Members

Pre 1990 Era:

  • Paul Campigotto, Chair
  • Jim Atack
  • Bill Irvine
  • Brian Mulligan
  • Dr. William Leskiw

1991 - 2000 Era:

  • Gord Singleton, Chair
  • Emily Allan
  • Shirley Fisher
  • Gary MacDonald
  • Mike Strange, City Councillor

Lifetime Members

  • Bob Barnes
  • Caroline Gibbs
  • Cline Stephenson

 

Criteria for the Sports Wall of Fame

Induction into the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame is restricted to Niagara Falls athletes and builders of sport. Athletes, Teams, Builders and Sponsors must be nominated in order to be considered for induction.

Below are the following criteria's for each category of the Sports Wall of Fame: 

  • Athletes: Athletes to be considered for admission to the Sports Wall of Fame must have been outstanding in their athletic field of endeavour, or must have achieved better than average proficiency in a number of sports, even if not reaching the absolute top level in any one, in competition against peer athletes. This involves those competing on a strictly local level and those going on to district, provincial, national and international events, as well as those who enter professional sports. Any athlete nominated to the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame must have been retired from active participation in the sport(s) for which he/she is nominated for a period of not less than three years (dating from the end of the season of the sports(s) for which he/she has been nominated). An active athlete may be eligible for nomination if she/he has reached the age of fifty years. In the case of automatic nominees, these restrictions do not apply, as determined by the constitution.

  • Teams: Teams shall be eligible for recognition and shall be judged on merit and residency by the Era Committee. Recommendation shall be made by various Era Committees as per each nomination. A team for Wall of Fame purposes is defined as "any group of two or more athletes engaged in the same sport who work together as a unit in that sport". The team may be made up of members of the same sex or the sexes may be intermixed, providing the majority of the team were Niagara Falls residents and have reached the age of 14 years, at the time of their accomplishment. Any high school team must have won a minimum Ontario Federation of School Athletics Association (O.F.S.A.A.) championship to 2 be considered and the accomplishment must be of significance for the school. Significance is defined as having extreme importance for the school. A figure skating pair, tennis doubles, curling team, cross country running team, etc. are defined as teams for our purposes. A boxer and his manager do not constitute a team.

  • Builders: Builders are defined as officials (referees, umpires), individual sponsors, executive members, trainers, coaches, etc., whose work for sport over an extended period of time has been outstanding, whether it be in the organization of leagues and facilities, achieving a high degree of success in coaching teams and/or individuals, keeping a league or team active, providing services at a consistently high level over an extended period of time, etc. However, just because an individual has worked many years for a sport as a builder does not necessarily mean eligibility for the Sports Wall of Fame. His/her work over that period of time, or over most of it, must have been of a consistently high level with regard to services provided or results achieved.

  • Sponsors: The Sponsor Award is presented to a business, corporation or group in recognition of a minimum of five years significant contribution to sports in the City of Niagara Falls. Nominees are judged on merit by each era committee with no automatic induction.

 

Committee Constitution

For more information about the Sports Wall of Fame, please refer to the Committee Constitution (PDF) here.

 

Nominations

Here is the Online Nomination Form for athletes, teams, builders, and sponsors.

Please Note: Supporting documents and one (1) photo of the nominee must be received by the submission deadline. Photos should be approximately 5 x 7 inches and of clear, high quality (black and white is preferred). All materials should be sent via email, fax, or post to the Recreation & Culture office at the MacBain Community Centre.

Hardcopy Forms are also available from our office at the McBain Community Centre during the regular business hours. 

 

About The Virtual Sports Wall of Fame Project

The Virtual Sports Wall of Fame project began in August, 2003 and was completed by October, 2003. The City of Niagara Falls, Parks, Recreation and Culture has worked with the library to facilitate the digitization of the Wall of Fame.

Plaques were temporarily removed by City staff from the arena and shipped to the library. At the library, the plaques were cleaned and digitized, and the image was entered in the library's existing image database. The plaques were then returned to the arena.

A unique web site to permit the browsing and searching of the images from the Wall of Fame was developed by the library, with input from Parks, Recreation and Culture staff. The data is also integrated in the library's Historic Niagara Digital Collections website.