November 24, 2006
The Department of Athletics at Durham College & UOIT held its annual DC Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony last night on campus attracting a large crowd of alumni athletes, past hall of famers, current & past coaches, administration, VIP's, President Leah Myers, current team captains, media and friends of the program. It was simply a wonderful black tie event that saw the DC Sports Hall of Fame grow to 29 inductees with the addition of Brockville native Laurence Bishop and Etobicoke native Bill Crowdis. Of the many notables in attendance were original Athletic Director, and DC Hall of Famer Dave Stewart; 1973-74 Athlete of the Year - Paul Borchuk; and retired 25 year DC Golf Coach legend and Hall of Famer, Gerry Pettit.
The gala evening took place at the beautiful atrium in the new Business& IT Building on campus. The Hall of Fame ceremony and decor were co-ordinated superbly by Karen Richards. The event included a look back at the past 37 years of DC Athletics through video, memorabilia displays and archives. The event drew major media coverage.
The focal point of the evening was, of course, the induction of Bishop and Crowdis. Both were outstanding in their respective sports. Bill in basketball, where he dominated the OCAA,helping lead DC to its first ever Men's Basketball National Championship and culminated a stellar college basketball career at DC by being named to the OCAA All-Millennium team, recognizing the 12 best college basketball players in the history of the OCAA. While Laurence set the college volleyball provincial circuit on fire as a player and then a highly successful Head Coach, leading DC to nationally ranked status each year and its first ever OCAA Division I Men's Volleyball Championship. His .726 career winning pct. in OCAA Volleyball is the highest in DC Men's Volleyball history.
Both individuals gave wonderful acceptance speeches which captivated those in attendance. The stories, the memories and the many accomplishments were flowing all evening and capped off with the official induction ceremony to close out the night. On a personal note since graduation, Crowdis, is now the Head Coach of the Fleming College Men's Basketball program and is employed as a senior Sales Manager with Swish Maintenance Inc. After graduation Bishop worked in a senior role with the Ontario Volleyball Association and is currently the Director of Marketing for the City of Brockville as well as the General Manager for the upcoming 2007 Ontario Senior Winter Games.
Bishop and Crowdis will now take their deserved place in the hall of fame as the 28th and 29th members of the esteemed Durham College Sports Hall of Fame. It was a memorable evening on campus at Durham College Thursday night as DC recognizes two more of its all-time greats!