The late Floyd Daniels – a fastball pitching legend who played much of his career in Hay River – will be inducted into the NWT Sport Hall of Fame later this year.
Sport North announced last week that Daniels and two others will be inducted into the athlete section of the Sport Hall of Fame.
Photo courtesy of Shaun Morris
"I think he's an excellent nominee, an excellent candidate, for the Hall of Fame," said Doug Rentmeister, the executive director of Sport North.
"He was a mainstay with NWT softball," added Rentmeister. "He was even recognized by the Canadian Softball Association for his efforts and volunteer work with making sure softball progressed in the territory. Along with that, he had a strong playing history as an excellent pitcher."
The induction ceremony will take place on Nov. 22 in Yellowknife.
The other inductees will be John Tram in gymnastics and the late Roseanne Allen for cross-country skiing.
In making the announcement, Sport North noted that all three of the athletes had great stature in their sports.
The NWT Sport Hall of Fame was created to celebrate athletes and sport builders who attained a high level of excellence and brought recognition and honour to the Northwest Territories.
Daniels passed away in August at the age of 62 after a brief battle with cancer.
During his fastpitch career, he represented the various communities in which he lived, and the NWT at national tournaments, along with playing at international events.
In all, Daniels played for about 20 years with The Hay River Heat. Before that, he played fastpitch in his hometown of Fort Smith, along with Inuvik and Fort Simpson where he worked as a carpenter for the GNWT.
Daniels retired from the GNWT in 2017 and relocated to Lloydminster, Alta.
Roseanne Allen – born in Aklavik and a member of the Gwich'in First Nation – was one of the first aboriginal women to represent Canada at the Winter Olympics. At the 1972 games in Sapporo, Japan, she and twin sisters Shirley and Sharon Firth competed for Canada in Nordic skiing.
John Tram had a distinguished career in gymnastics, and represented the NWT at numerous events and won many medals in the process.
In 2006, he was named the NWT's senior athlete of the year by Sport North.
And in 2011, he was honoured by Sport North as the official of the year.