Baseball star Jeremy Ware and builder Jim Rooney lead this year's class to be inducted into the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame.
Joining them will be fisherman John Vandivier in the veteran athlete category, Henry (Harry) Greene in the officials category and the 1966 CJOY Senior Baseball Club in the team category.
The induction ceremony will take place during the annual Kiwanis Sports Celebrity dinner May 17 at the Italian Canadian Club.
Jeremy Ware
Ware attended Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute from 1991 to 1994 where he was most valuable player in five different sports and a three-time athlete of the year. He graduated in 1994 and in the same year was drafted in the 25th round by the Montreal Expos.
Ware attended Indian Hills Community College in Iowa for one year where he made all conference and led his team to a berth at the Junior College (JUCO) Baseball World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado. He then signed his first professional contract with the Expos. Ware played professionally for 12 years between 1995 and 2006 (A-AAA) and two independent (1,055 games played, 4145 plate appearance, 991 hits, 225 doubles, 87 home runs, 526 runs batted in, and a 264 average).
Ware also played for Team Canada at the 1999 Pan American Games and in the2004 Olympics.
Jim Rooney
Rooney has been a fixture in the Guelph sports community for many decades. Rooney’s sports accomplishments span many different roles and positions including educator, owner, commissioner and coach among many others. His accomplishments and contributions to sports are numerous and span many sports and leagues and he has had a big impact on sports in Guelph.
His accomplishments include co-owning the Guelph Storm from 1991 to 2006, chairperson of the OHL, co-chairing the Ontario Winter Games, organizing sports while principal at two Guelph high schools and owning and managing the Guelph Royals senior team.
John Vandivier
Vandivier (1948–2009) was one of the top anglers in North America, winning numerous fishing tournaments for a variety of fresh water species. Vandivier worked with many well-known anglers including Bob Izumi. Vandivier and Izumi entered and won many competitions and appeared in more than 50 shows together.
While his prowess on the water will be remembered by his peers, many of Vandivier’s contributions to the sport are the tools and techniques he pioneered in the pursuit of excellence. A primary example was in the use of the long rods coupled with the centre pin reels, which Vandivier introduced to rainbow trout fishery in Ontario.
Harry Greene
Greene (1925–2010) was a leading hockey referee from Guelph who officiated in multiple hockey leagues from local Guelph leagues to senior hockey in the Western Ontario Hockey League (WOHA). He was an active hockey referee from 1959 to 1988 and a long-standing member of the Guelph Hockey Referees Association.
1996 CJOY Baseball Club
The 1966 CJOY Baseball Club had tremendous success with an Intercounty record that still stands today.
They won the 1966 Intercounty pennant and the Ontario senior baseball championship.
The induction ceremony will take place during the annual Kiwanis Sports Celebrity dinner on May 17 at the Italian Canadian Club. Tickets go on sale March 10 for $80 per adult and $35 for students 17 years of age and younger.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call 519-822-1260 extension 2033 or email [email protected].
