(Halifax, NS) – The Dalhousie Tigers are proud to announce the Dalhousie Sport Hall of Fame 2024 induction class.
In the category of athlete, this year’s class includes track and field athlete Paula James, and volleyball player Tara MacIntyre Olesen. Joining them are Robert Book in the builder and athlete categories, the 1996 baseball team and the 1972 and 1973 golf teams.
“We are thrilled to celebrate our rich history in sport at Dalhousie by inducting these great Tigers into our Hall of Fame,” says Athletics and Recreation Executive Director, Tim Maloney. “Their contributions to Dalhousie and beyond are most deserving of this recognition which we look forward to celebrating in May.”
This year’s class of inductees with join the hall on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at a ceremony in the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in the Dalhousie Arts Centre.
Ticket details for the ceremony will released later this month.
The Dalhousie Sport Hall of Fame is designed to recognize individuals and teams who have achieved excellence while representing Dalhousie University in athletic competition. The first induction ceremony took place in October of 2004 and took place biannually until 2015, when it switched to annual inductions.
Full roster of members of the Dalhousie Sport Hall of Fame
Nominations for the Dalhousie Sport Hall of Fame are accepted on an annual basis. For details on how to nominate a former Tiger to the hall, please visit our website.
The 2024 Induction Class
Paula (Peters) James
Paula (Peters) James is as accomplished of a runner as you can find in the history of Canadian university sport. Among all James’ achievements, her favourite is winning the national gold medal in the 4x400m relay in 1996. James won the relay with a team that included Terri Baker and Marsha Moore, who all ran together at a club level since the age of 12 and was rounded out by Margie Jenkins.
The Lower Sackville, N.S. native impressed everyone in the nation in her first season at Dal. In the 1992-93 season, James won three AUAA (now AUS) gold medals, a CIAU (now U SPORTS) bronze medal in the 600m race and a CIAU silver medal in the 4x800m relay. She was the AUAA Rookie of the Year for her accomplishments and made second-team all-Canadian.
In her second season with the Tigers, James successfully defended her gold medal in the 600m at the AUS championship along with her fellow Tigers, retained the 4x400m and the 4x800m gold medals. At the national level that year she repeated as the bronze medallist in the 600m and was a member of the team that repeated as silver medallists in the 4x800m.
In the 1994-95 season, James built on the previous year’s success, winning three AUAA gold medals and a silver medal in the 4x400m relay at nationals. James won her first national gold medal in the 600m this year.
In her final year, James won two gold medals at the 1995-96 nationals in the 4x400m relay and 600m. Once again, a first team all-Canadian, James was named the AUAA Athlete of the Year and was a finalist for the Canadian University Athlete of the Year to cap off her career at Dal. James graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 1996.
Tara MacIntyre Olesen
Women’s volleyball legend Tara MacIntyre Olesen, in her three years at Dal was a two-time AUAA (now AUS) MVP and a three-time AUAA champion and was initially recruited for Dal’s women’s basketball team. MacIntyre knew she wanted to play volleyball, but her athletic gifts also got her an invite for New Brunswick’s provincial basketball team after being selected for the NBIAA all-star team.
Dal women’s basketball head coach Carolyn Savoy connected MacIntyre with volleyball head coach Karen Moore. MacIntyre was encouraged to attend Dal by her older brother, who had just finished playing for the men’s hockey team.
The Saint John, N.B. native burst onto the scene in her rookie season. She was the Dal Rookie of the Year, AUAA Rookie of the Year and an AUAA first team all-star. Dal’s first-ever AUAA women’s volleyball Rookie of the Year helped the Tigers win the AUAA title.
The next season, after competing with the junior national team at the World University Games, MacIntyre continued to improve and become more dominant. She won the AUAA MVP and was a second team CIAU (U SPORTS) all-Canadian. Once again, she helped Dal win the title, winning Dal’s 12th AUAA women’s volleyball championship.
MacIntyre one-upped her incredible 1991-1992 season by winning the AUAA MVP and U SPORTS first team all-Canadian. She capped her Dal career off with an AUAA three-peat and went on to compete at her second World University Games in 1993.
MacIntyre’s athletic career did not stop at Dalhousie. She won a bronze medal with Team Canada at the 1995 Pan Am Games and was a Team Canada alternate in the 1996 Olympics. A Team Canada senior national team member until 1996, MacIntyre would be inducted into the Volleyball Canada Hall of Fame (team) in 2004, the Volleyball New Brunswick Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Saint John Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
After Team Canada, MacIntyre returned to Dal to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree. She was a women’s volleyball assistant coach at Dal in the 1996-97 and 2002-03 seasons. In the latter season, MacIntyre helped coach Dal to another AUAA championship.
Robert Book
Robert (Bob) Book is a two-time AUAA (now AUS) cross-country champion and a two-time all-Canadian as a runner. Book was named the male athlete of the year at Dalhousie in the 1973-74 season. As a coach, Book took the cross country team to back-to-back AUAA titles in 1977 and 1978. 1978 was his most successful season coaching the Tigers, bringing the cross country team to a CIAU (now U SPORTS) bronze medal. In the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons, Book coached the track & field team to two AUS titles.
Outside of Dal, Book was a silver medalist in the Eastern Canadian 10-mile road race with a time of 48:56. He broke a 35-year-old Nova Scotia record. He is also a Nova Scotia distance running champion. From 1971 to 1973, Book went undefeated in two of the three years.
Book then moved to the world of sport administration. In 1979, he was hired as the full-time executive director for the Nova Scotia Track and Field Association (now Athletics Nova Scotia). In 1980, Book established the first women-only road race in partnership with Bonnie Bell. The meet manager of three national cross country championships in Halifax, Book was also a team manager in the 1981 Canada Summer Games for track & field. In the 1985 Canada Summer Games, Book acted as a track referee. In 1991, Book was the assistant chef de mission for team Nova Scotia at the Canada Winter Games.
From 1988 to 1995, Book was the sports consultant for the province with the Sport and Recreation Commission and went on to be a graduate of the Canadian Olympic Academy in 1995.
An active volunteer in his community, he was the Atlantic Colleges Athletic Association chairperson from 1991 to 1997, a Sport Nova Scotia board member from 1997 to 1998 and a Dalhousie Alumni Association board member from 1999 to 2001. One of his key highlights was serving as the Chef de Mission for Team Nova Scotia at the 1993 Canada Summer Games and at the 1995 Canada Winter Games.
1996 Baseball Team
The sophomore season of the Dalhousie Baseball team opened with promise. The 1996 team had a core of returning players supplemented with new talent which created depth at every position. A more well-rounded team then their first year, it featured greater pitching depth, all-around reliable team defence and a formidable offensive lineup.
The Tigers ended the 1996 regular season with an 8-4 record and in first place. They beat Saint Mary’s 6-5 on October 8 to clinch the Atlantic pennant. Up next was the 1996 Atlantic Championship at Memorial Park in Kentville, Nova Scotia. The Tigers went undefeated to earn a spot in the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association (CIBA) Championship. Shortstop Craig Higgins was named the tournament MVP for batting .600. First baseman Scott Sturgeon, second baseman Brian Clarke and outfielder Shawn Woodworth were named all-stars.
The team then travelled to St. Catherines, Ontario 10 days later for the national championship. The Tigers opened the tournament with a 4-3 win over the Laval Rouge et Or. Pitcher Trevor Wamback was dominant, striking out the first eight batters up, setting a new CIBA record. A 11-0 win on day two over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues locked in playoff spot for the Tigers. Their 2-1 record secured them a spot in the championship game versus Brock; the only team to beat them that weekend.
Fueled by strong offensive play to start the game and supported by strong pitching and defence, the Tigers beat the host Brock Badgers 8-3 to clinch the national title. Higgins was named the tournament MVP, while Wamback was named top pitcher and Sturgeon top hitter. Outfielder Jason Irvine and second baseman Clarke were named all-stars. This is the first, and so far, only, national title for the Tigers baseball team.
1972 and 1973 Golf Team
The 1972 Dalhousie golf team was a bit of an underdog heading into the Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament. With just two returning players, Gerry MacMillan and 1971’s individual title winner John Randles, and the event being hosted at the long Moncton Golf and Country Club, the hill was steep to improve on their third place finish the previous year. Joining the returning Tigers was PEI’s junior star George Rogers and Sydney, Nova Scotia’s John MacKay.
Round one saw MacMillan lead the field with a one under par 71 with Rogers recording a 75 and Randles and McKay shooting a 78. These scores gave the Tigers a nine-stroke lead over the defending champions, Acadia. MacMillan recorded a 73 on round two for a total of 144 and captured the individual title by four strokes. A tight battle until the final putt, the Tigers were able to close out the tournament with a total of 616 and a slim three stroke lead over Acadia to claim the title.
The following year the Tigers looked to defend their title with Randles, MacMillan and Rogers all returning. David MacLean from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia rounded out the team. Heading into the tournament as favourites, the Tigers again held a nine-stroke lead after round one, this time with UNB in second place. Led by MacMillan second round score of 73, as well as a 76 from Rogers, a 77 from Randles and an 89 from MacLean, the Tigers finished the tournament with a 17-stroke lead over UNB with a final score of 622.
MacMillan would go on to successfully defend his individual title in 1974, winning five of the six AIAA tournaments he played in.