New group of athletes inducted into Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame

The Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame is now 178 members strong.

Its 24th annual induction ceremony was held on May 3 at the Ramada Convention Centre.

The 2019 inductees included two successful, prominent and well-respected high school coaches.

For 27 years, Adrien “Tic” Langlois mentored students and athletes at Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, where he coached football, volleyball, gymnastics, curling and track and field.

Gord McLellan excelled as a coach in football and track and field from 1974 to 2003. He won eight Frontenac County football championships with the Bayridge Blazers and Sydenham Golden Eagles.

“This is truly amazing,” said McLellan, a star running back in university with the Waterloo Warriors and Queen’s Gaels.

McLellan’s message to all his players over the years was simple.

“I wanted them to be as helpful as possible with all their teammates,” he said. “I asked them to do the very best job possible. If everybody does that then we’re going to have success.”

Bruce Sheen was cited for his prowess on the basketball court. From 1975 to 1977, Sheen dominated the Ontario College Athletic Association, leading the conference in scoring for all three seasons and averaging 27 points per game as a member of the St. Lawrence Big Blue.

Ken Tallack is a ninth-degree black belt in karate and a grand master instructor in kung fu. He is also a community leader, a champion for his charity work and an icon in the field of martial arts. His message to the audience of nearly 300 was a strong one.

“I stressed the seven attributes of the samurai,” said Tallack.

“Martial arts is about respect, compassion, gratitude, honour, integrity, loyalty and discipline. It’s an ongoing task to live with these attributes. It’s not something you achieve; it’s something you work on every day.”

Brad McFarlane excelled in the sport of tennis. He won the Canadian Junior championship in 1995 and represented Team Canada in numerous international junior competitions. He joins his father, John, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.

“Dad was more than just a father, he was my coach as well,” said McFarlane, who attended the University of Michigan on a tennis scholarship.

“We were a team,” added McFarlane.

“We spent every day together on the tennis court. The fact we’re both in the hall, being recognized for our accomplishments and successes, is a really neat thing.”