1990 BELLEVILLE SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

  • 1928 Belleville Nationals

    TEAM, BASEBALL

  • Richard “Dick” Charles Ellis

    BUILDER, MULTI-SPORT

  • Donald C. Gavey

    BUILDER, MULTI-SPORT

  • John S. Hayman

    BUILDER, MULTI-SPORT

  • James “Snipe” Matthews

    BUILDER, HOCKEY

1928 BELLEVILLE NATIONALS

TEAM, BASEBALL

The 1928 Belleville Nationals brought the Ontario Senior Baseball Association (OBA) championship to Belleville in late September, 1928 following a 2-1 series victory over the Walkerville Chicks. Walkerville won the first game 15-4 in Walkerville; the second game was back in Belleville with Belleville winning 3-0 as Percy “Hoot” Gibson tossed a three-hit shutout. That game was played before three thousand fans. The third and final game in the series was played at a neutral filed in Guelph, Saturday September 20 with the Nationals posting a 7-5 victory, and out-hitting Walkerville 10-9. Approximately three thousand fans were waiting for the team at the Belleville CN Rail station late Saturday September 29, and a civis reception followed.

In prior series, the Nationals defeated the Bell Telephones of Toronto in OBA semi-final play-off action, winning that best-of-three series in two straight games, the second game a 3-1 home field victory played in front of thirteen hundred fans at the Belleville fairgrounds. In their first series, Belleville beat Oshawa 2-1 in games with an 11-8 victory in the third game. The team was composed of twelve players, four executive members, and a bat boy.

W. Ernie Rowsome was president of the club. Walter Gerow was manager and coach. William “Peeney” Mills was the all-star catcher. Alec Scott was an outfielder. Harry Mills, “Peeney’s” younger brother, was an outstanding first baseman. Wilfred “Wickey” Ross was the team’s centre fielder. Pitcher Percey “Hoot” Gibson was a key player. Shortstop Harry Blakely was a Thomasburg native. Alec Weir, Vernon Weir’s younger brother, was a pitcher/outfielder. Earl “Sonny” green was a native of Point Anne who was a star right fielder. Bob Scott, who was just 19 years old in 1928 and the youngest player in tge team, was the club’s lead-off man. Stan Hagerman patrolled left field as well as acting as the back-up catcher. Stan made only one error during the entire 1928 season. Vincent “Vinny” Utronki was a pitcher. Vernon Weir was the club’s second baseball. Roy Clark was the club’s trainer. Newt Thompson acted as secretary-treasurer. Bat boy was Walt Gerow Jr.

RICHARD “DICK” CHARLES ELLIS

BUILDER, MULTI-SPORT

Richard “Dick” Ellis, who died in 1970, loved his ‘Ellis Junior’ and ‘Ellis Sweethearts’ softball Teams.

Dick was one of those people who saw team sponsorship as his way of supporting local sports in the City of Belleville. He acted as sponsor for girls softball, junior boys softball, boys baseball and minor hockey for 20 years and his sponsorship money always went to the youth of the community where financial aid was more necessary. His name will live forever now that the City of Belleville has named its Harder Drive arena “The Dick Ellis Rink”.

Dick spent his entire life in Belleville and was an alderman for several years.

DON C. GAVEY

BUILDER, MULTI-SPORT

Don Gavey’s “Volunteer of the Year” awards are almost too numerous to mention, and characterize Don as the man behind the scenes in several amateur sports in the City of Belleville. The Aylmer, Ontario native spent most of his adult life in Belleville and was heavily involved in softball, hockey, umpiring, and refereeing, as well as playing semi-professional football, and acting as a football official.

Gavey was president of the Eastern Ontario Fastball League and was also involved in the beginning of the Men’s Slow Pitch Softball League, the Belleville and District Softball League, and was a player, convener, and organizer for the Ontario Amateur Softball Association.

Don’s hockey involvement began as a Junior B player in Woodstock, and eventually he became President and Referee-in-Chief of the Belleville Minor Hockey Association. He ran representative team tournaments for BMHA for seven years, and was also involved in organizing the McFarlands Oldtimers Hockey Team during a time when Oldtimers hockey was booming in Canada. Don died August 25, 1988.

JOHN S. HAYMAN

BUILDER, MULTI-SPORT

An educator and a coach, John Hayman epitomized the excellence of effort which resulted in several championship teams during his coaching tenure at both Albert College and Quinte Secondary School. John led his basketball teams to seven different Bay of Quinte championships in both Junior and Senior while also winning two COSSA basketball championships and one OFSAA championship for the Province of Ontario.

His involvement in sports went from the role of coach and educator to the role of sports administrator. He was president of COSSA (Central Ontario Secondary School Association) for two years and was a member of the Board of Directors of OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) for eight years, two years as President. He also served on the national CFPSAA Board of Directors for four years and acted as President for one.

Locally, he was President of the Belleville Family YMCA for one year during a five year term as a Member of the Board of Directors. Born in London, Ontario in 1922, John was educated in London and Belleville and received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Western Ontario, where he played three years of Varsity basketball for the Western Mustangs. He was Vice-Principal of Quinte Secondary School from 1961 – 1967 and Principal from 1967 – 1982.

JAMES “Snipe” MATTHEWS

BUILDER, HOCKEY

“Snipe” was a driving force behind Junior B hockey in Belleville, first as one of the original owners of the Belleville Bobcats in the early 1960s, to sole owner from 1971 until he sold the club in 1979. In that time, the Bobcats of the Metro Junior B Hockey League were league finalists on three occasions, winning the league championship in 1976. After selling the team in 1979, “Snipe” remained as club General Manager during a league championship series in 1981 – 1982 when the Bobcats won the Ontario Hockey Association’s Sutherland Cup, emblematic of Junior B hockey supremacy in Ontario.

“Snipe” was honoured by the Ontario Hockey Association in 1982 with Golden Hockey Stick of Merit for his work in Junior Hockey in the province. He was also co-founder and director of the Belleville McFarlands Booster Club in the club’s heyday and World Championship victory in 1959. A World War II veteran who was born in Belleville, “Snipe” is also heavily involved with the Belleville Shrine Club, its annual Shrine Peewee Hockey Tournament and ARC Industries sports as a volunteer official.