1995 Inductees

Allan MacDonald was a force to be reckoned with as a runner through the 1960s, first in Yorkton where he was a member of the Yorkton Track Club, and later as a university athlete and national and international competitor. In Roblin MB, Allan continued to instruct in athletics and academic subjects throughout his teaching career. 

He was successful track and cross-country competitor in high school in Yorkton from 1960 to 1964, winning many medals in long-distance racing throughout the province. In 1963 he broke the Canadian two-mile record, set by Bruce Kidd, by a full eight seconds while competing as a juvenile in the Alberta championships. From 1964 to 1970 he was a member of the University of Saskatchewan track and cross-country teams, and captain of both. The teams competed nationally and internationally. Allan was a gold medalist in the 10,000-metre event at the western Canadian Olympic trials in 1963, and went on to compete in the Canadian trials. Throughout his youth in Yorkton, and later at university, Allan also competed in basketball, volleyball, hockey, football, badminton and baseball.

While Don was involved as a coach and organizer in basketball, track, and other sports over several decades, he is best known as a volleyball official of international stature. In 1976 he became the only Level 5 international official Saskatchewan had ever had and in 1995 he received the Volleyball Canada Lifetime officials’ award, only the fourth awarded to an official in the sport in the previous 30 years. 

His involvement in volleyball started with his teaching career, first as a coach and organizer but soon after as a referee. He was the provincial high school rules and officials chairman for 20 years, and the provincial officials for 16 years. 

His involvement at the national level started on 1979. He served the national volleyball officials committee as chairman, rules chairman, chef training clinician, management committee member, north/south/central Americas zone member, international officials committee chairman, and Canadian representative on the special refereeing commission for the world university championships. He has officiated at medal matches at all levels of competition, and was the only Canadian to have worked as first referee in a gold medal Pan American Games match. His international refereeing involvement has taken him to a dozen countries around the globe, and involvement on national championships, world university championships, Pan American Games, and the Olympics.

Pat Piper (nee Kiggins) started playing competitive golf in Yorkton at the age of 14. Since moving to Winnipeg MB, she has represented Saskatchewan or Manitoba at 13 Canadian golf championships, and was the runner-up at the Canadian Senior Ladies Championship in 1992.  She was the Manitoba senior champion in 1994, capping four years as a member of that province’s senior ladies national team. 

It started back in 1956, when she won the first of four consecutive Northeastern Ladies championships at her home course, Deer Park in Yorkton. She won many other tournaments in the province, and was the Saskatchewan Junior Ladies champion in 1957 to 1959. She was a member of the Saskatchewan ladies amateur team in 1958 and 1959 and the Manitoba amateur golf championships in 1960, 1963 and 1964. 

She was a member of the Canadian junior championship team in 1961, and was the runner-up, to her sister Marg Homenuik, in the Manitoba amateur golf championships on 1961 and 1964. She again was a member of the Manitoba amateur in 1973, and started her successful senior team in 1991. She has been club champion at Deer Park in Yorkton, and Pineridge, Elmhurst and Rossmere in Winnipeg. She was also an avid high school curler in Yorkton, and has competed in the Manitoba provincial ladies curling championships on five occasions.

Metro grew up playing hockey, baseball and other sports in Yorkton. At the age of 17, he went to Moose Jaw, where he joined the Canucks junior hockey team. He was there three seasons between 1944 and 1947, winning the Saskatchewan championship each year. The team also won the western Canada junior championships two of those years, and went on to compete in the Memorial Cup finals, only to lose each time to St. Michael’s College of Toronto. Metro won the league scoring title and most valuable player award in each of his last two years in Moose Jaw. 

He turned professional in 1947 with Chicago Black Hawks, and played in the National Hockey League 11 years; the first four in Chicago, the remainder with the Detroit Red Wings. In Detroit he played on five league championship teams and two Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1952 and 1954. In the 1952 Stanley Cup, he was the co-leader in points scored, along with team mates Ted Lindsay and Gordie Howe. 

While in the NHL, he was selected to play in three all-star games. He played baseball with the Yorkton Cardinals for about 15 years, and in Moose Jaw. Metro coached minor hockey and minor baseball in Yorkton and in the 1960s turned to coaching junior hockey, spending three years in Moose Jaw with the Canucks, and two years in Melville with the Millionaires. He coached the Saskatchewan junior hockey champions in 1962. Metro was elected to the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.

Bill Prystai was a member of three provincial championship hockey teams over a span of 16 years, and followed that accomplishment with a distinguished career as a volunteer sports organizer and official. Active in all sports while growing up in Yorkton, Bill was a member of the Saskatchewan juvenile hockey champions in 1941, the senior A champions in 1951, and the intermediate A champions in 1957. 

During World War II, while serving at No. 4 Service Flight Training School in Saskatoon, he was a member of the Western Command tri-service championship hockey team. He played senior baseball with the Yorkton Cardinals for 10 years starting after the war. In the mid-1950s he coached the Yorkton midget B hockey team to the provincial finals. He was referee in chief for the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association from 1967 to 1969, and served on the SAHA executive for most of the 1960s. 

He first became involved with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as the Yorkton chairman of the annual fund-raising dinner in 1970. The next year Bill moved to Regina, and for 25 years was on the dinner committee there, sereving as treasurer for 22 years.

Keith’s career as a player, coach and organizer of baseball in Yorkton spanned four decades, from the time he played in the minor baseball ranks in Yorkton to his teams’ successful participation in interprovincial competitions in the late 1980s. In the latter half of the 1950s, Keith played with the Yorkton Phillies of the Garry League, and the Juvenile Cardinals. During the 1960s he was involved as a player and organizer with the Yorkton Cardinals, which through his efforts joined the Southern Baseball League and which in 1969 were the provincial runners-up under Keith’s management. 

He served as president of the Cardinals in the early 1970s, taking responsibility for organization, tournaments, facilities and player acquisition. During that time he became involved in promoting minor league baseball and was a coach, manager and fundraiser. In 1984 he managed and coached the provincial champion Bantam Cardinals, which won 26 consecutive games leading up to the title. Three years later he coached and managed the Juvenile Cardinals to their provincial championship. In 1988 his Cardinals won the provincial and western Canadian Bison championships, and the team competed in the national championships in Nova Scotia. Keith has also been active in hockey and fastball as a coach and organizer.