The Brandon University Sports Wall of Fame Class of 2024 has been unveiled.
- Patty Kinvig (nee Wood) Athlete: Basketball (1997-2002)
- Tara Pitz (nee Dale) Athlete: Basketball (1995-2000)
- Marvin Russell Athlete: Basketball (1984-1989)
- Charlton Weasel Head Community Leader (1999-2001)
- Guy Williams Community Leader (1991-1996)
- Glen Williamson Builder (1975-1980)
- Bobcat Men's Basketball Teams (1999-2000; 2000-2001)
The Wall of Fame ceremony is Saturday, November 2 at the Victoria Inn Imperial Ballroom and is presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries.
Doors open at 9:30 a.m., brunch is at 10:00 a.m. with the ceremony starting at 11:00 a.m.
Ticket information will be released at a later date.
Patty Kinvig (nee Wood) overcame enormous odds to become an award-winning basketball player at Brandon University.
She battled through a series of serious illnesses to earn Great Plains Athletic Conference rookie of the year and was recognized nationally with the U Sports (formerly CIAU) Tracy MacLeod Inspiration Award in 1997-98.
Her first year started by being diagnosed with diabetes and later mononucleosis and hepatitis. It resulted in her spending time in hospital during an egregious six-week layoff.
Kinvig showed true grit and returned to finish the regular season. She hit 42 of 67 shots in 11 games for an impressive 62.7 field goal percentage. The sparkling stat would have been good for top spot in the country had she played the entire schedule.
Determination and perseverance continued for Kinvig in 1999-2000. She averaged a team-best 10.4 points per-game and shot 60 percent from the floor while earning Brandon University's H.S. Perdue Award.
A long-awaited triumph came in 2000-2001. Kinvig scored 10 points and eight rebounds in leading the Bobcats to an upset victory over the nationally ranked UBC Thunderbirds on home court.
The 6-foot post averaged 11 points and more than five rebounds per-game on the season and was a GPAC second-team all-star and BU's Female Athlete of the Year. She had a league-best field-goal percentage of 57.5 and finished in the top 10 in free throw percentage and blocked shots.
She concluded her Bobcat career in 2001-2002 by receiving the H.S. Perdue Award for the second time.
Prior to wearing blue and gold, Kinvig represented Manitoba at the 1997 Canada Summer Games and was a provincial AAAA high school all-star with the Glenlawn Lions.
The Winnipeg native moved to the West Coast and is the Assistant Terminal Manager at Ashcroft Terminal, the province's largest inland terminal.
Kinvig inspires as a cancer survivor after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2011. She has also given back to the B.C. basketball community as a volunteer coach.
Tara Pitz (nee Dale) went from small-town basketball roots to the bright lights of university competition with the Bobcats.
The 5-foot-11 forward wore blue and gold from 1995 to 2000 and won BU's H.S. Perdue Award in 1998 while being an Academic all-Canadian.
She finished fifth in rebounds per-game in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in 1999 and was a tournament all-star in an exhibition tournament in Palm Springs, Florida.
"Tara has been our unsung hero for us the last couple of years. She has always been asked to guard the all-Canadians on other teams and do a lot of the dirty work," Bobcat coach Don Thomson told CKX Television in the fall of 1999. "I think you're going to see Tara accept a leadership role this year and step up even more in the offensive area."
Her fifth and final season saw Pitz earn a plethora of awards. She was a Great Plains Athletic Conference second-team all-star; BU's Female Athlete of Year and earned the prestigious Harvey Young award for academic excellence.
Pitz played a major role in a historic run by her hometown Hamiota Huskies and was coached by Manitoba Sports Hall of Famer Lorna Robertson. The Huskies won their fifth straight 'A' provincial high school title in Pitz's grade 11 season. She scored 36 points in the championship final and was tournament MVP. Pitz was inducted into the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the Huskies dynasty in 2007.
She was also a provincial all-star in soccer and volleyball and was recognized by the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association and Basketball Manitoba with major awards.
Away from the basketball court, she competed in three national fastpitch championships as a pitcher.
She later transferred that into volunteer coaching with Virden Minor Baseball and softball pitching.
Her teaching career has spanned two decades at Virden Junior High School where she coached basketball and volleyball.
She has become a key leader in math education. Pitz has partnered with the Manitoba Rural Learning Consortium, Brandon Teachers Association and Fort La Bosse School Division to enhance student learning and success.
Marvin Russell has a special place in Bobcat history after playing a vital role in Brandon University's run of three straight national titles in the late 1980s.
The Toronto, Ont. product displayed electrifying offensive talents at George Harvey High School where he was a three-time all-star.
He traded it all in for ultimate team success and carved out a knack for being a defensive wizard against the opposing team's top scorer.
The 1987 Great Plains Athletic Conference semi-final against the Manitoba Bisons is a glowing example where Russell was up to the task. He held all-star guard Terry Garow to just two points as Brandon prevailed 73-67.
"We went into the game with defence being the key and Marvin did a tremendous job," coach Jerry Hemmings told the Brandon Sun.
The elusive 6-foot-2 guard could still dazzle on the scoresheet.
Russell recorded 15 points and eight rebounds as Brandon defeated the Bisons 86-74 for a program record 18th consecutive victory in 1988.
"Marvin has a history of great games against Manitoba," said Hemmings.
In the final act of his Bobcat career, Russell had a flare for the dramatics in the 1989 national championship game. He inbounded the ball of the back of a Victoria Vikes' defender and scored a basket on the baseline.
Russell receives his first individual enshrinement after being honoured as a team member into the BU Sports Wall of Fame; Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.
Russell returned home to Toronto to serve as a youth outreach worker. He also spent over a decade as a basketball referee.
Charlton Weasel Head was an electrifying three-point shooter from 1999 to 2001 with the Bobcats.
He was instrumental in the BU men capturing the Great Plains Athletic Conference championships and back-to-back national silver medals during that time.
Weasel Head was recognized as a GPAC all-star and a national tournament all-star in 2001. He also received the Tom Longboat Award for aboriginal sporting excellence that same year.
Before coming to BU, he was a three-time Alberta colleges league all-star and an all-Canadian in 1998 with the Lethbridge Kodiaks. He was inducted into the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame for his athletic achievements in 2008. His alma mater at Lethbridge College later presented him with a community service award in 2017.
Weasel Head was a long-time educator at Kainai High School on the Blood Tribe Reserve. He served as associate principal, athletic director and basketball head coach for over a decade.
He has been a board member with the Indigenous Sport Council of Alberta and worked with the Alberta Schools Athletic Association and the Treaty 7 Management Corporations.
His journey as a teacher took him to Napi's Playground Elementary on the Piikani Nation in 2024 where he serves as a physical education instructor and acting principal.
Guy Williams started to lay the foundation as a community leader during his time as a Bobcat hockey player from 1991 to 1996.
He won BU's Jim Casey award and the prestigious Canada West Randy Gregg award for athletic and academic success in his final season. Williams also volunteered with disadvantaged students in his senior year where he posted a 3.4 grade point average.
He was named co-winner of the team's Most Improved Player award in 1992.
The Souris, Man. product came to BU after winning the Manitoba Junior Hockey League championship with the Portage Terriers in 1990.
Williams has had a long association with Hockey Manitoba and in 2004 earned a service award. The majority of his volunteer work revolved around the growth of female hockey. He and former Bobcat teammate Doug Roach coached a Hartney-based team to provincial championships in 2011 and 2013.
The following season Williams began a lengthy head coaching run with the Westman Wildcats. He guided the club to Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League titles in 2018 and 2022. During his tenure, they also won the prestigious Mac's Tournament in Calgary prevailing in the final title game in triple overtime.
Williams assisted many Wildcat players in earning post-secondary scholarships including 2022 Olympic gold medallist Ashton Bell.
He also has longstanding ties to the Westman High School Hockey League and coached in the circuit for seven years. His Souris Valley Vipers hosted the A/AA provincial championship in 2001 and earned a silver medal.
Williams has spent his entire teaching career in western Manitoba and has been the principal at Souris School since 2011. He was also the principal at Hartney School for six years.
Glen 'Ab' Williamson played five seasons of Bobcat hockey before going on to a highly-accomplished international coaching career.
His five-year career in blue and gold culminated by receiving BU's Jim Casey Award in 1980.
The Souris, Man. products first coaching assignment took him 'Down Under' where he led the Australian national team to their first-ever appearance at the world championships in 1983.
He spent the next eight years behind the bench in Switzerland and won a pro league title while working alongside long-time friend and Bobcat alum Andy Murray.
Team Canada came calling in 1991 as Williamson served as an assistant coach at the Spengler Cup.
He then reached the National Hockey League as an assistant to John Paddock with the original Winnipeg Jets. His four years included the 1992-93 season when Teemu Selanne set the rookie scoring record with 76 goals.
Williamson also worked as a scout for the LA Kings in the early 2000s when he, once again, worked alongside Andy Murray.
He was instrumental in growing the game in Hungary as director of the national team development program. Under his guidance, the Hungarians were promoted to the IIHF's elite division and nearly qualified for the 2017 World Junior tournament.
Williamson was a league champion in Japan and coached the Japanese national team.
His 50-year coaching journey also included time in the German Elite League.
The Bobcat teams of 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 had back-to-back opportunities to capture the top prize in Canadian university men's basketball.
Brandon entered the 1999-2000 season with a lot of question marks after all five starters moved on from a year prior. The new-look Bobcats gelled together at the right moment to win their sixth straight Great Plains Athletic Conference championship.
The BU men swept the Manitoba Bisons in the best-of-three league final to land their 14thconsecutive berth in the Final 8 national tournament in Halifax.
Josh Masters had a 19-point performance as the Bobcats won the deciding game over the Manitoba Bisons 74-59 in front of 1,100 fans at a packed BU Gym.
"It's a big emotional win for all of us because everybody was new at the beginning of the year. No one knew each other. No one predicted us to finish this good," Masters told Kirk Penton of the Brandon Sun.
Brandon was seeded eighth going into nationals and took on the top-ranked Alberta Golden Bears in the quarter-finals. The Bobcats pulled off a major upset by defeating the Bears 73-57. GPAC Player of the Year and all-Canadian Earnest Bell had 31 points.
An iconic moment took place in the semifinals against the fourth-ranked Western Mustangs. Josh Masters hit a miraculous half-court shot at the buzzer to lead BU to a thrilling 61-58 victory.
The Bobcats dropped a 61-60 decision in the national final against the St. Francis Xavier X-Men.
Bell and fifth-year Greg Walker were named national tournament all-stars.
The 'Cats came back the very next season with added motivation.
They repeated as GPAC champions and made it 15 straight trips to nationals. Bell poured in 27 points to power the Bobcats past the Bisons 93-71 to sweep the league final.
"Right now, I think I'm more emotional and just really happy for six fifth-year guys," coach Jerry Hemmings told the Brandon Sun. "My emotions are with those players. I think I got the greatest job in the world at times . . . you love doing something and see these players work so hard."
The third-seeded Bobcats knocked off the St. Mary's Huskies 65-57 in the national quarter-final. Bell had a thunderous alley-oop dunk with nine minutes remaining and Aaron Mitchell made back-to-back three-point daggers in the closing minutes.
The semifinal was dramatic and Tyrone Smith came through in the clutch. He drove the lane and hit a running jumper with five seconds to go as Brandon got past Western 77-76.
Brandon met the top-ranked X-Men in a rematch and the two sides went the distance in the first overtime final in the event's 39-year history. The Bobcats were edged 83-76.
Earnest Bell and Charlton Weasel Head were honoured as national tournament all-stars.
Source: https://gobobcats.ca/news/2024/7/25/alumni-2024-wall-of-fame-inductees-announced.aspx