An Olympic champion is among 10 individuals and a team that comprise the Sarnia-Lambton Sports Hall of Fame's class of 2024.
Inductees include:
Jack Isom Award:
Corunna's Derek Drouin has won the Jack Isom Award, which goes to athletes who have excelled in international competitions.
Drouin won a gold medal in the men's high jump held at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Four years earlier, he earned a silver medal at the Olympic Games in London, England.
Drouin has also won track and field gold medals at the World Championships in 2015, the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the Pan American Games in 2015.
No other Canadian track and field athlete has captured gold in all four of these international competitions.
If all that wasn't enough, he also won the Bowerman Award as the top college track and field athlete in the United States.
Professional athlete:
Hockey star Todd Bidner of Petrolia is the winner of this category.
Bidner played 12 games in the National Hockey League for the Washington Capitals, scoring two goals and adding one assist.
He also played many games in the American Hockey League with the Hershey Bears as well as playing professional hockey in the United Kingdom. During one memorable campaign, he scored 79 goals in Britain. In all he had 386 goals and 349 assists while playing in Europe.
Amateur athlete:
Maggie Mullen and Jill Friis share this award.
Friis was named Canadian bowler of the year in 2016. She was also named London and District bowler of the year an incredible 23 times. On top of all that, she has won many gold, silver and bronze medals while playing for Team Canada at various international events.
Mullen was a standout college athlete at Ohio State University. Participating in NCAA track and field events, she became the school's record holder in the javelin and a winner of the 2012 Big Team Sportsmanship Award.
She was a first team all-American in javelin in 2010 and a second team all-American in the weight throw. She was also a standout in the hammer throw.
Special Achievement:
Bill MacKenzie has won this award, which is for a person who over a number of years has made significant contributions to sports in such endeavours as media, coaching, training or as an official.
MacKenzie played minor baseball in Sarnia and was a catcher during the inaugural season of the 1966 Drawbridge Inn juniors. Signed by the Detroit Tigers he played two seasons in the minors before being traded to the Montreal Expos. An injury ended his playing career but he coached in the Tigers minor league system for three years, then worked with the Expo organization as a farm system manager, technical instructor, coach and scout.
In 1978 he joined Baseball Canada as its first technical director. He also managed at the Pan Am Games and assembled the Canadian team that took part in the 1984 Olympics.
In 1986 MacKenzie rejoined the Expos as a scout, a position he held for seven years. He then joined the Colorado Rockies as a scout for eight years.
Earl MacKenzie Award:
Ken McLaughlin has won the Earl MacKenzie Award, which is for people involved in sports for at least 30 years.
He coached the Northern Vikings high school junior football team for 30 years, winning no less than 14 championships, including eight in a row. Five of his squads went undefeated.
In addition to football, McLaughlin coached track and field for 32 years and co-coached the school's wrestling team to several titles.
Bud Morrison Award
Ken Dwinnell has won this award, which recognizes people who have made significant contributions to young people in their sporting endeavours.
Dwinnell participated in baseball, football, lacrosse, soccer and hockey, doing everything from coaching to co-coordinating various events.
He won the 'Mr. Hockey' Award in Petrolia and Canadian Hockey Association recognition for outstanding service to minor hockey.
Builder:
Allan Duffy has won this honour for a number of notable achievements, including founding the St. Clair Tae Kwon Do organization, which he ran for two decades.
He has also been a national Tae Kwon DO team manager and a national referee in the sport.
Duffy also raised funds to help take 32 local students to the 1988 Olympic Games in Korea.
He has, in fact, been a fundraiser and organizer for numerous sporting events.
On top of all that, he managed the St. Clair Secondary School hockey team for many years, once raising enough money to help the team go to Europe.
Team:
The Lambton Lions 2023/24 women's basketball team is being inducted after finishing first in its division before going on to win an Ontario championship.
The Lions defeated Niagara College in the semi-final, then upset the Algonquin Wolves, who had been ranked No. 1 in the OCAA all year.
From there it was on to Lloydminister, Alberta where the team won a silver medal in the national championship tournament. This was the first ever national silver won by a Lambton College team.
Joe DeRush Award
Daniel Robar has won this award, which is for athletes with disabilities.
Robar has been a prominent athlete with Special Olympics Sarnia, taking part in power lifting and athletics for many years. In 2024 he qualified for the Special Olympics Ontario Provincial Games.
He won the 2024 Special Olympics Sarnia inspire award, which recognizes individuals who excel in team spirit.
Rose Hodgson Memorial Award.
John Girard has won this award, which is for outstanding contributions to the community.
Girard was an educator for the local Catholic School Board from 1978 to 2011.
Along the way he mentored thousands of young people in and out of the classroom as a coach of football, track and wrestling. He is best known for his work with wrestlers, coaching a number of athletes to national and provincial championships.
He is one of the original coaches and founder of the Sarnia Amateur Wrestling club
The enshrinement dinner will be held October 19 at the Dante Club.
Tickets are available from any of the hall's board of directors or by calling President Pete Coenjarts at 519-542-4095.