Singleton to be honoured with street sign topper
Niagara Falls city council directs staff to honour local Olympic cyclist, who died in March
The City of Niagara Falls is looking to expedite the process of adding a street topper to signs on Whirlpool Road in honour of Olympian Gord Singleton, a Niagara Falls native who was his hometown’s athlete of the last century.
Singleton died on March 23 after living with prostate cancer. He was 67.
During Tuesday’s city council meeting, Mayor Jim Diodati talked about how the falls were recently illuminated in the Olympic ring colours in honour of Singleton, who competed for Canada at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and was named to the Order of Canada in 1986.
Diodati said a gathering was later held at Table Rock with Singleton’s wife, children and hundreds of friends.
Coun. Mike Strange, also an Olympian, said Singleton was an “icon” not only in Niagara Falls and Canada, but around the world.
“His accomplishments are just … unreal,” he said.
Over the years, Singleton, who owned Niagara Battery and Tire, became a mentor and friend to Strange.
“Even though I was in the sport of boxing, he just kind of helped me keep my feet grounded and be a better person,” said Strange, adding that he believes Singleton should be honoured beyond just the falls illumination.
“I know about five years ago (while) on the recreation commission, I put his name forward to name a trail or a road or something after him and, unfortunately, it didn’t come back before he passed away.”
Strange said there was talk at the Table Rock event about “possibly giving naming rights to Whirlpool Road, as his cycling team rode that trail all the time.”
“Maybe direction to staff that we talk to his family and possibly look at renaming Whirlpool Road, or adding his name to Whirlpool Road because we don’t want to have to change everybody’s addresses,” he said.
“I think it would be a great honour to his family and honour to Gord himself, who was just an amazing person and a mentor to so many athletes in this area.”
Kira Dolch, general manager of planning, building and development, who was serving as acting chief administrative officer in Jason Burgess’s absence, said staff sent Singleton’s family information about the application process for honorary street toppers.
“We’re just waiting for the information back and we’ll try and expedite that,” she said. Singleton was in the running to be named Canadian male athlete of the year in 1980, but finished runner-up behind Terry Fox.
Singleton was the first Canadian to win a gold medal at the track cycling world championship, setting the pace in the keirin in 1982.
In October 1980, he held three world records, setting them all in a 24-hour span. They came in the 200-metre flying start, 500 flying start and 1,000 standing start months after being named to Team Canada for the 1980 Olympics.
At the peak of his cycling career, when he was a favourite to win a gold medal, Canada supported the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow.
In 1990, Singleton was enshrined into the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame.