Sports hall inducts Wells

By Lethbridge Herald on April 27, 2015.

The Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame’s annual induction banquet features the induction of local sports fan, organizer, columnist, reporter, supporter and guru David Wells in the special award category.

The banquet takes place on May 2 at the Canadian Western Bank Lounge at the Enmax Centre. Tickets are available at TicketCentre locations at the Yates Memorial Centre and the Enmax Centre.

David Wells is not only a passionate sports fan but for close to 40 years he has worked behind the scenes in numerous capacities and in a variety of sports to enhance the sports experience for countless athletes and fans.

Combining a love of sports with an encyclopedic knowledge of sports, Wells has long been a familiar fixture at southern Alberta fields and arenas. The range of sports organizations and events he has been involved with on the local scene and beyond is staggering.

With training in Sports Administration, including a master’s degree from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, Wells has put his education to use in many ways, including while serving as assistant general manager with the Pioneer Baseball League’s Lethbridge Dodgers in 1982. He also held the position of Sports Organizer for the Lethbridge School District No. 51 from 1984 to 1988 and Southern Alberta Interscholastic Administrative Council Activities Coordinator from 2001 ongoing.

Particularly fond of basketball, Wells served as assistant coach with the University of Lethbridge men’s basketball team from 1986-88 and from 2001-02, besides working with the U of L in an uncredited capacity many other years. He has also worked as an assistant coach at the community college and high school levels, as well as with the provincial team at the 1997 Canada Games.

Wells was a member of the board of directors with Basketball Alberta from 1986-88 and from 2003-06, and served multiple terms supervising high-performance programs. He has on numerous occasions been the team manager with the Canadian >men’s national basketball program at various levels, including the >junior team in 1989. 1990, 1991 and 1994 and the under-22 team in 1992 >and 1993.

Wells served as sports information director at the University of Lethbridge in 1977-78 and 1980-81 and at the University of Victoria in 1088-89; as public relations director with the Calgary 88s of the World Basketball League in 1989-90; as athletic co-ordinator at the University of Regina in 1990-91; and as communications manager with the Rocky Mountain Turf Club in Lethbridge from 1995-2001.

He has also served as play-by-play sports commentator at various times with local community cable television, and he was a sports announcer with CJOC Radio and CFAC Television in Lethbridge in 1978-79. For many years he has been a sports writer and columnist with numerous publications including the Lethbridge Herald, for which he continues to write about high school sports.

He will be inducted alongside the 1966-67 Lethbridge Junior College Kodiaks championship basketball team, taekwondo athletes and coaches Colin Nonomura and Darin Gibson, local sports administrator and coach Cal O’Brien and basketball coach and organizer Pius Labolevech.

The evening also includes the presentaiotn of Lethbridge Kinsmen athletes of the year awards to University of Lethbridge basketball star Kim Veldman and Commonwealth Games gold medallist hammer thrower Jim Steacy.

The 2015 theme celebrates “30 Years of LSHOF History” and this year’s scheduled guest speakers are: Mal Clewes, speaking about the early days of the LSHOF; Lethbridge Herald sports editor and board director Dylan Purcell, talking about the present state of sports in the area; and Rob Miyashiro, projecting what a permanent LSHOF display area at Lethbridge’s new westside Leisure Centre is likely to entail.

This year’s masters of ceremonies will be past inductees Carole Gemer and Dori Johnson.

Single tickets are available until Wednesday and cost $50 and a table of eight is $350. For further information, contact http://www.lethbridgesportshalloffame.ca or phone Knud Petersen at 403-380-4751.