Marnie McBean

While many national team rowers start their careers once they reach University, Marnie was hooked after attending a learn-to-row course at the Toronto Argonaut Club. Natural talent and dedication earned her a bronze medal at the 1986 World Junior Championships a year later. Less than five years into her career, Marnie represented Canada at the 1992 Olympic Games and brought home two Olympic Gold Medals.

Looking for a new challenge in 1993, Marnie began competing against Silken Laumann in the single scull event. After winning the silver medal at the World Championships in 1993, and becoming World Cup Champion in 1994, Marnie teamed up with her previous pairs partner Kathleen Heddle and together they won the 1995 World Championships, double scull event.

Teamed again in 1996 for the Summer Olympics, Marnie and Kathleen won the Gold medal in the Double Sculls and a bronze in the quad. In 1998, adding a silver and bronze to her collection, Marnie became the first rower to have a medal in every boat class.

When Marnie is not competing, she is a very active supporter and true ambassador of her sport. Marnie started a campaign in 1996 called the Fund for Olympic Rower Survival (F.O.R.S.), designed to financially assist rowers who are training for the Olympics.

Marnie is the recipient of the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal in 1995, and won the YWCA/YMCA 1995 “Women of Distinction Award.” Marnie and her rowing partner, Kathleen Heddle, were inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

Marnie is a volunteer supporter of the Special Olympics, Rosalee Hall and Kids Help Phone. As an accomplished motivational speaker, Marnie has traveled to schools and corporations speaking about her Olympic experience and life as a dedicated Canadian athlete.

Pete Conacher

Pete Conacher is part of a legendary Canadian sports family. A family proud of having 3 brothers elected to the National Hockey League Hall of Fame, Lionel, Charlie, and Roy.

Born and raised in Toronto, Pete started his hockey career in the Toronto Hockey League, became Chicago Blackhawk property at the age of 16. He then played for 3 years with their O.H.A. Jr. A farm team in Galt before turning professional with Chicago at age 20.

A 13 year hockey career followed with stops with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo A.H.L., St. Louis A.H.L., and Hershey A.H.L.

His professional career was interrupted in 1959 when he joined the Belleville McFarlands and helped win the World Championship in Prague. In the summers he played fastball in the Beaches Major League and senior baseball for Lizzies at the old Viaduct Stadium.

After retiring from professional hockey in 1966 he joined the N.H.L. Oldtimers Hockey Club and for the next 13 years played charity hockey games across Canada. Pete is still playing oldtimers hockey.

A past President of Ontario Special Olympics and a board member of the Charlie Conacher Throat Cancer Research Fund, Pete recently received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal from Senator Frank Mahovlich in recognition of his athletics and community services in Canada.

Pete and his wife Ann have lived in Etobicoke for the past 38 years.

Ken Cox

Ken Cox was born in Brampton, Ontario, on February 9th, 1917. His family moved to Etobicoke when he was six years old, where he has since been a resident.

At the age of seventeen, Ken (the only original member of the Faustina Sports Club), along with seven other teenagers organized the Faustina Sports Club. Its primary purpose has always been to initiate, promote, sponsor, and lend assistance to minor sports in the area.

Ken played lacrosse, baseball and hockey in Etobicoke as a boy and young man. He refereed in the M.T.H.L. and Little N.H.L. for years. He was referee in chief and president of L.N.H.L. during the era of Bobby Orr and Jerry Cheevers.

During World War II, the club was disbanded. Ken was in the R.C.A.F., and following the war, re-organized the club in 1947. In 1951, when Lakeshore Memorial Arena was built, under Ken’s guidance, Faustina was the first occupant for minor hockey, and is still there providing hockey for young people in the Etobicoke- Lakeshore area.

Through Ken’s efforts and organization, Faustina has provided glasses for the underprivileged, Christmas baskets for the needy and elderly, bursaries for boys who finished their final year in Hockey, to help with their education, donations for the Home for Battered Women, Queensway Hospital, the Sick Children’s Hospital, and more.

Ken was inducted into the Mississauga Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977 and received the Faustina sportsman of the year award in 1995-1996.

George Gross

George Gross who has been a fulltime sports journalist in Canada for 44 years, arrived in Canada in 1950 with a limited knowledge of English and $4.50 in his pocket.

He was born in January 1923 in Bratislava, Slovakia, and at age 27 escaped from his home to Austria by rowing across the Danube River. Upon arrival in Canada, he worked on a farm for $30 a month with room and board.

After a freelance career with the Toronto Telegram and on radio stations CKFH and CFRB, including coverage of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, George was offered a fulltime job with The Telegram in January 1959. He stayed with the paper until its demise in 1971, when he became sports editor of the Toronto Sun, a function he held for 15 years. He is now corporate sports editor of The Toronto Sun.

During his career, George won the 1974 National Newspaper Award, as well as his newspaper chain’s Dunlop Award and authored three books: Toronto Olympiad For The Handicapped (1976), Donald Jackson, King of Blades (1977) and Hockey Night in Canada (1982-83).

George was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985 and is the only Canadian journalist who received the Olympic Order (1994). He’s a member of Variety Village, has chaired the Conn Smythe Sports Celebrities Dinner for Handicapped Children for 13 years and received such honours as the Ontario Achievement Award (1973); the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship, Gold Medal of the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1980; City of Toronto Medal and was the first recipient of the Promises of Hope Award in 1999 for his work on behalf of the Canadian Save The Children Fund.

George is currently president of Sports Media Canada and Life Member of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive.

Leif Pettersen

Born in Toronto in 1950, Pettersen attended Northern Secondary School and captained a number of championship football and hockey teams from 1965 to 1969.

As football became his real love, he accepted a scholarship to Otterbein College in Columbus, Ohio where he lettered in both football and golf from 1970 to 1974. He was voted and received the male “senior athlete of the year” award and as a graduating senior was selected to play in the North South All Ohio Shrine Bowl All Star Game.

Pettersen was drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1974 and played with such CFL legends as Ron Lancaster and George Reed for four years. In 1976, Saskatchewan lost one of the most memorable Grey Cups to the Ottawa Roughriders when Tony Gabriel caught a long touchdown pass in the last minute to win.

However, even in a losing cause, that game was a “breakout” game for Pettersen as he caught seven passes that day and received a game ball from then CFL commissioner Jake Gaudaur. Traded to Hamilton in 1978, he played for four more seasons and had another Grey Cup appearance in 1980.

Pettersen had his most productive year in 1979, when he led the Eastern Conference in pass receptions, was an all-star and was runner-up for the Schenley Award as Most Outstanding Canadian.

Pettersen retired after eight seasons in the CFL and moved directly to the broadcast booth where he was the analyst for the CFL telecasts on CTV and TSN for eighteen years.

Still active in television he has done Arena football for Sportsnet as well as various Grand Prix Horse Show events and is a guest host on the Fan 590 radio morning show.

Pettersen is a founding Governor of the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame and has been a resident of The Kingsway area of Etobicoke with his wife Lee and their two daughters Kate and Ali since 1978.

John O’Flaherty a.k.a. “Peanuts”

Born April 10, 1918, in Toronto at St. Michael’s Hospital, “Peanuts” met his wife to be, Kay in grade 8 and married her in 1940. They have nine children and have been residents of Etobicoke continuously since 1943.

Peanuts playing, coaching, managing and scouting career took him across Canada and several cities in the U.S. in a span of five decades.

In 1934, and 1936 as a player and still a teenager Peanuts “won it all” with an O.H.A “Jr. B” Championship with St. Michael’s Buzzers, and a Memorial Cup Championship with West Toronto, respectively.

In 1951 he concluded one of the greatest seasons that any player/coach could conceive of having. Both playing and coaching he led St. Michael’s to the O.H.A “Senior A” Championship while concurrently serving as the coach of the St. Michael’s “Jr. A” team!

In 1937, he led the Senior O.H.A. in scoring with the Toronto Dominions and followed that up with another scoring title the following year with the Toronto Marlboro’s of the O.H.A. “Jr. A” league. Peanuts led the Senior League in scoring one year earlier than he led the Junior League.

Colin Lorimer

A westerner by birth and an easterner by choice, Colin Lorimer was born in a small farming community near Brandon, Manitoba. It was here that his interest in sports began. Two things shaped his life.

Growing up during the depression taught him to be conscious of the needs of others, and 3 years in the army during World War II, taught him the importance of discipline. He brought these two principles to civil life as he quickly became involved in community activities, first in Winnipeg, then Vancouver, and finally in Etobicoke where he and his family settled in 1961.

He is one of the founders of The Royal York Minor Hockey League and served as it’s President. While President of The Etobicoke Hockey Association, he along with the late Jack Foden, started the Christmas Holiday Minor Bantam Tournament that was held in Etobicoke for many years. He was the Founding Chairman of The Etobicoke Selects Junior “B” Hockey Team and was a partner in the Royal York Royals Provincial Junior “A” Hockey Club.

Colin served as a Director of The Metropolitan Toronto Hockey League and was involved in International Hockey for a number of years. In 1976 he was honoured by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association for his contribution to Amateur Hockey in Canada.

Colin was also a Director of the Etobicoke Olympium and Chairman of The Etobicoke Bidding Committee for The Summer Games. In addition,he is a Founding Governor and Past Chair of the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame.

In 1995 he and his wife Edie built a retirement home in Rosedale Village. He still retains business interests in Etobicoke including a partnership in The Centennial Park Golf Center.