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Thomas Gayford, equestrian (born 21 November 1928 in Toronto, ON). An outstanding international competitor, Tom Gayford was a member of the Canadian jumping team from the late 1940s until the early 1970s; he then became team coach. With James Day and James Elder he formed the gold-medal show-jumping team at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
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“Respectfully dedicated to the memory of the late ‘Buster’ Thorsteinson, a sportsman and gentleman.”
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Miles Gilbert (Tim) Horton, hockey player, entrepreneur (born 12 January 1930 in Cochrane, ON; died 17 February 1974 in St. Catharines, ON).
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Timothy (Tim) McIsaac, swimmer, public servant (born 10 January 1959 in Winnipeg, MB). McIsaac has won the most medals of any Canadian Paralympian, with 28 medals in swimming (including 14 gold) at the Paralympic Games between 1976 and 1988, as well as 17 medals at the World Games in 1979 and 1986. He was the first blind swimmer to use the tumble (or flip) turn, using a “tapping” technique that later became compulsory in competitions for swimmers with visual impairments. McIsaac was named Canadian junior male athlete of the year in 1976 and Manitoban athlete of the year in 1982. He is a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame and Swimming Canada’s Circle of Excellence. He was named to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.
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Todd Brooker, alpine skier (b at Paris, Ont 24 Nov 1959). Todd Brooker began skiing at 4 and by 12 was racing throughout Ontario and Québec. An extremely aggressive skier, he has experienced both spectacular wins and devastating injuries.
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He inherited perhaps the most talented team in history, but he encouraged them to work as a team, and achieved unprecedented results. In his 13 seasons, Blake compiled the most successful coaching record in the history of the NHL.
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Toller Cranston, CM, figure skater, painter, author (born 20 April 1949 in Hamilton, ON; died 23 January 2015 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico). A creative and controversial skater and artist, Cranston was widely known for his unique free-skating style. Although never a world champion, he gained more attention in the early 1970s than many who did win gold medals. With his highly individualistic approach, he is credited with opening men’s figure skating to a more artistic style of bodily movement.
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Thomas Charles Longboat (Gagwe:gih), distance runner, Olympian (born 4 July 1886 in Ohsweken, Six Nations of the Grand River; died 9 January 1949 in Ohsweken). Tom Longboat was an Onondaga distance runner from Six Nations of the Grand River. One of the most famous athletes of the early 20th century, Longboat pioneered training methods still used today. He is considered one of the first celebrity athletes in Canada, with his athletic successes known across North America and overseas. He was a leader in establishing marathon running as an international sport and won many marathons in record-breaking times, beating competitors from all over the world. Longboat was the first Indigenous person to win the Boston Marathon (1907). He competed for Canada at the 1908 Olympic Games. He was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.
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Thomas Laird Paton, athlete, businessman, volunteer (born 30 September 1855 in Montréal, QC; died 10 February 1909 in Montréal). Paton was an accomplished amateur athlete who excelled in lacrosse and hockey. A goaltender with the Montreal Hockey Club, he helped his team to six straight league championships (1888–93). In his final season, the club was awarded the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup — what would later become known as the Stanley Cup.
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His defences included victories over the heavyweight champions of England and Australia. He knocked out the Irish champion, Jem Roche, in 1 min, 28 secs, the shortest title defence ever. The $30 000 he received for fighting Johnson was the beginning of "big" money for boxers.
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Anthony Charles “Tony” Golab, CM, football player (born 17 January 1919 in Windsor, Ontario; died 16 October 2016 in Ottawa, Ontario). Known as the “golden boy” of Canadian football, Tony Golab was a hard-charging, versatile player with the Ottawa Rough Riders. He played with the team from 1939 to 1941 and again from 1945 to 1950, serving as an RCAF flight lieutenant and pilot during the Second World War. Golab played offence and defence for Ottawa, where his spirited style made him a fan favourite. He appeared in four Grey Cup games, winning in 1940, and was named Canada’s male athlete of the year (now known as the Lionel Conacher Award) in 1941. He is a member of the Order of Canada, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.
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Macleans
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on July 14, 2003. Partner content is not updated.
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Athletic success, we’re told, takes grit and determination. With these strengths, an athlete can overcome any obstacle and, if they’re good enough, become the best in their sport, regardless of the challenges ahead of them. But what if the goalposts keep moving? What if the finish lines are drawn farther, the hurdles set higher, and the windows of opportunity sealed shut? The athletes in this exhibit were not only the best in their fields, but among the best in history. They were the fastest sprinters, the most agile skaters, the hardest hitters and, in many cases, the first to succeed at a high level. But though they earned the respect of their elite peers and the awestruck admiration of onlookers, there were barriers to their success — a colour bar blocking their way. Nevertheless, these courageous Black men and women persevered, and in so doing, cleared a path for future generations.
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The Asahi was a Japanese Canadian baseball club in Vancouver (1914–42). One of the city’s most dominant amateur teams, the Asahi used skill and tactics to win multiple league titles in Vancouver and along the Northwest Coast. In 1942, the team was disbanded when its members were among the 22,000 Japanese Canadians who were interned by the federal government (see Internment of Japanese Canadians). The Asahi were inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003 and the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
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Vicki Keith Munro (née Keith), marathon swimmer (born 26 February 1961 in Winnipeg, MB). Vicki Keith Munro is the most successful marathon swimmer in the history of the sport, currently holding an unprecedented 14 world records. Her marathon swimming career began in Kingston, Ont in August 1985 with her first world-record crossing of Lake Ontario (19.3 km in 11½ hours, butterfly stroke). In 1988, Keith Munro became the first person to cross all five Great Lakes.
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