‘He excelled at all sports’
Gary McDonald to be inducted into the Cape Breton Sport Hall of Fame on Saturday
This story is part of a series chronicling this year’s inductees into the Cape Breton Sport Hall of Fame.
Kozzy McDonald still remembers playing sports with his brother, sister and father Gary McDonald in the yard of the family home in New Waterford.
“If he wasn’t hitting ground balls to us, he would be shooting baskets with us,” said Kozzy McDonald. “I remember having catches with him out in the yard and kicking the soccer ball around with him – he could play any sport – he was a good teacher for us growing up.”
A standout player in all sports he played, Gary McDonald will be inducted into the Cape Breton Sport Hall of Fame during a ceremony Saturday at Centre 200 in Sydney.
McDonald will go into the hall of fame as an athlete, following an outstanding sports career, which saw him win a number of provincial championships and individual awards.
The McDonald family was surprised to hear the news of the induction.
“We didn’t even know he was nominated – we didn’t know until my mother was contact about a month ago,” said Kozzy McDonald. “It’s definitely an honour to have my father going into the hall of fame. We’re all proud and we’re looking forward to the ceremony.”
During his playing years, Gary McDonald, who died in August 1995, excelled in baseball, basketball, soccer and fastball.
As a youngster, McDonald spent most of his summers on the baseball field, where he developed as a slick fielding, hardhitting shortstop. He played his minor baseball in New Waterford and later advanced through the ranks from little league to junior and was also a valued member of the Sydney Panthers, Sydney Steel Kings and the Sydney Sooners.
After recovering from a serious leg injury during the 1974 Canadian Senior Baseball Championship, McDonald was one of the founding members of the Sydney Sooners baseball team, where he proved to be an all-star shortstop in the Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
“I played with Gary back in the early days and I played against him in junior baseball and with him with the Sooners,” said Jim (Rico) McEachern. “He was one of those community athletes from the past that
definitely deserves to be recognized in such events as the hall of fame.
“He was a leader on and off the field and he conveyed that in the community,” said McEachern. “He excelled at all sports.”
In soccer, McDonald’s career started with Mount Carmel High School where he was a member of two provincial championship teams in 1962 and 1966. He later went on to play two seasons at Xavier College under Bucky Buchanan and Jack Porter.
Meanwhile, in basketball, McDonald was an exceptional forward for Mount Carmel High School, Xavier College and the New Waterford Strands. He was a key part of the Mount Carmel Mounties in their successful
pursuit of the provincial headmaster championship in 1964-65. He also helped Xavier College capture the Nova Scotia Collegiate championship in 1968-69.
Kozzy McDonald has heard lots of stories about his father in his playing years.
“Lowell (Cormier) told me my father was a great baseball player and an excellent soccer player and a good basketball player and that he was good at everything,” said McDonald. “He was just a natural athlete.”
Aside from playing sports, McDonald is also remembered for his hard work and dedication in New Waterford. He served as recreation director for the former Town of New Waterford, a position he held from 1974 to 1995.
“He was and still is known as one of the best recreation directors in the province, historically, over the last number of years,” said McEachern. “He was a class individual, a great person, and obvious for this particular selection, a great skilled athlete.”
McEachern believes McDonald’s selection into the hall of fame is well deserved and a longtime coming.
“I think the New Waterford community has already classed him in the hall of fame a long time ago,” said McEachern. “I know as a recreation director for the town, he can take credit for a number of positive achievements –I’m very proud to say Gary was my friend and a person I enjoyed playing sports with.”
McDonald’s legacy is still felt in the Cape Breton community. The Sooners give out an annual award known as the Gary MacDonald Gold Glove/Gold Bat Memorial Award, the unofficial MVP award of the NSSBL. Meanwhile, the Gary McDonald Sportsmanship Award is given out annually at the New Waterford Coal Bowl Classic.
McDonald’s memory is also remembered with the Gary McDonald Recreation Complex, featuring a walking track, soccer field and playground, at the former Mount Carmel Elementary School in New Waterford, as well as the annual Gary McDonald Memorial Volunteer Award, given out annually by the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
The McDonald family will be in attendance for the Cape Breton Sport Hall of Fame ceremony and will accept the award on behalf of Gary McDonald.
(Ticket’s for Saturday’s ceremony are still available by calling Carol Miller at 902-562-0849 or Mackie MacIntyre at 902871-2543).