Photo courtesy of the Milton Sports Hall of Fame
The Milton Sports Hall of Fame (MSHOF) has announced their 2024 Class of Inductees.
Over the spring, a series of voting rounds took place. A final vote was held at a recent meeting of the Board of Directors in Milton, where nominations submitted by the wider public were assessed and examined.
“The Milton Sports Hall of Fame extends a warm welcome to the five new exceptional inductees who have achieved renown in their respective sports, brought recognition and pride to the Town of Milton, and helped to foster growth and interest in their athletic endeavors, both on the field of play and off it,” says Uwe Samstag-Schnock, Chairman of the Milton Sports Hall of Fame. “This the newest class of inductees of the Milton Sports Hall of Fame represents a diverse range of athletic achievement, represented by both men and women, builders and athletes. We are celebrating a superb wrestler, a wrestling coach and administrator, an innovator and champion of women’s triathlon, a passionate and noteworthy provincial-level baseball executive, and a race-car driver whose career spanned decades and put Milton on the map.”
Entering the Hall this year will be:
Peter McMullen (Builder, Baseball)
“Born in Esquesing Township on September 5th, 1911, Hugh Peter “Pete” McMullen’s life revolved around sports. Peter was educated in Milton and moved to northern Ontario where he worked in the mine industry and wrestled, where he earned the nickname of “Hardrock McMullen”. He eventually moved back to Milton where he worked for Regal Transport as a truck driver hauling brick for Milton Brick.
“Always the sportsman however, his life in sports centered on baseball. Peter once remarked, “I have worked hard for baseball, but I am sure that I received more enjoyment out of the game than most people can ever dream of.
“He was a baseball junkie, armed with a lawn chair he loved to be around the game. Whether it be an Intermediate or Senior game or just kids batting the ball around, Peter loved to be around baseball and talking baseball.
“McMullen was the president of the Milton Baseball Club and was President of the Halton County Baseball Association from 1949 to 1963, and President of the Ontario Baseball Association for three years (1957-59).
“He was instrumental in founding minor baseball and hockey in Milton and was part of the inaugural group of inductees into the Town of Milton Walk of Fame in 2007.
“Although Peter was heavily involved in baseball, the name Peter McMullen is highly regarded in the hockey world as he managed an intermediate Milton team in 1950 and was president of the team in 1955-56. At the time of his sudden death in 1966 at age 54, he was the president of the Milton Merchant Junior hockey club. Peter was also very involved in a number of other service clubs, like the Milton Curling Club, the Milton Kinsmen Club, the Royal Canadian Legion, the Lions Club, and the Rotary Club. Peter was definitely part of the fabric of the Milton community.”
Larry Jaroslawski (Builder, Wrestling)
“Larry “Mooch” Jaroslawski took the sport of wrestling at E.C. Drury high school to heights it has never seen. He took the reins of the Drury “Spartans” wrestling team in 1984 and established a dynasty built on hard work, fierce competition and a desire to be the best. Two years into his coaching career at Drury in 1986 Mooch had led E.C. Drury to its first Halton Team Championship, and a year later in 1987, in its inaugural year, he led Drury to its first Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference (GHAC) Team Championship.
“There were also individual titles for his wrestlers with a Halton Championship in 1985, followed by an OFSAA medal in 1989 and the school’s first OFSAA gold in 1994. These were all pre-cursors to the Drury dynasty which lasted 26 years.
“By 1995 the program added to its regional domination by placing 5th at OFSSA. Three years later in 1998 and 1999 Drury won back-to-back OFSAA Team silver medals all leading up to the OFSAA Team championship in 2000. Drury went on to a streak of five consecutive OFSAA championships from 2000 to 2004 and then won its 6th title in 2006 under the Craig Kielburger Secondary School Spartan banner.
“‘Mooch’ is the only coach to win six OFSAA titles in the history of OFSAA. Larry has left an indelible mark on the legacy of wrestling at E.C. Drury and has impact on his students is undeniable. Larry provided kids with lifelong experiences whether it be at various wrestling tournaments or the numerous trips he organized over his time at Drury that spanned the globe. Larry’s dedication to the sport and his students made him respected by his teammates and opponents as everyone admired his love for the sport.
“In 2017, E.C. Drury Spartans Wrestling was inducted into the Milton Sports Hall of Fame in the team category.”
Tina Braam (Builder, Triathlon)
“Milton’s Tina Braam created a triathlon/duathlon legacy for women that extends well beyond Milton or even Ontario. Competing nationally and internationally at a time when many women weren’t active in the sport at all, she transitioned into building a comfortable environment for the next generation, all the while still competing in various age-related categories in the sport at a top level.
“Her goal was to reduce feelings of intimidation for those women new to the sport while inspiring rookies with her infectious enthusiasm to build up not just a world-class annual competition which she started for women in 1995 in Milton, but also to grow it into a multi-event Ontario-wide series.
“Quite simply, she broke down barriers. From the grassroots to the world’s highest levels, Tina’s legacy is long lasting and all encompassing.
“By removing the barriers of mixed-gender competition from the equation, Tina was able to coax those with less athletic ambition to give the sport a try, often suggesting new participants try duathlon if they couldn’t swim, for example.
“With her husband Ed and a slew of volunteers, Tina was able to eliminate fear for a generation of the sport’s uninitiated. The road to building a one-off event into a multi-event provincial series was paved with financial speed bumps and monetary hurdles, but through dedication and perseverance, Tina was able to secure sponsors and build momentum. Through it all she still found ways to have some proceeds to benefit Big Sisters of North Halton through her events. To build confidence she also organized training clinics.
“In the end, she is the author of the story of achievement for many women who went on to provincial and national success in the sport. Her first Kelso event featured 70 racers, but by 2002 it had grown to a size that had to be capped at 650 participants. By its 10th anniversary in 2004, the Milton Women’s Triathlon was approaching 800 participants for its annual Labour Day swim, bike, run.
“Braam has a number of accolades inside and outside of the sports arena. She was the Canadian Women’s Triathlon Champion; she served on the International Triathlon Committee that established equal prize money for Men and Women Triathlons.
“In addition, she is one of only five women featured in the Sports 1960s – 2000s Section of the Canadian Federation University Women book ‘Celebrating Milton’s Trailblazers’.
“In 2002 she received the Syl Apps Special Achievement Award, as presented by the Province of Ontario, the only triathlon related recipient to receive the award at the time of her recognition (one of the province’s outstanding citizens who are making a difference in sports in Ontario for her contributions to the sport of triathlon).”
Kevin Iwasa-Madge (Athlete, Wrestling)
“Kevin Iwasa-Madge and wrestling are synonymous. He’s Milton’s most decorated wrestler having achieved numerous accomplishments at a number of different levels: high school, university, provincial, national and international. At the onset, it did not appear that Iwasa-Madge was going to be the wrestling force he later became. Attending his first practice at E.C. Drury with no prior experience, but showing some promise he went on to rewrite the school’s record books over his five years at the school.
“His strong work ethic, perseverance and desire to learn and compete took him to heights he probably never even dreamed of. Rookie of the year in 2004 and two-time wrestler of the year at Drury, Iwasa-Madge holds the school record for all-time wins (267), career medals (70) and career golds (41). He had three 50-win seasons and is one of only four Spartans to have an undefeated high school season.
“The accolades did not stop when his high school career ended. He was the Ontario Amateur Wrestling Champ, a National Champion and a two time National medalist, 5th at the Pan-Am Championships and 12th at the Junior Worlds. At the university level, Iwasa-Madge was a five-time OUA medalist and a two-time champion, a CIS 1st Team All Canadian and a 2-time Academic All-Canadian. He capped off his university career with a 5th place finish at the FISU Games (International University Sports Federation). He established a wrestling legacy at Drury and within the Town of Milton that is second to none.”
Howie “Scooter” Scannell, Sr. (Athlete, Auto Racing)
“Howie ‘Scooter’ Scannell, Sr.’s relationship with the competitive racing industry goes back to the start of racing in Ontario in the early 1950s in Super Modifieds at legendary tracks, such as the Lakeshore oval at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) Stadium Speedway, Pinecrest Speedway north of Toronto, Cayuga Speedway, Delaware Speedway, Bridgeport Speedway, Nilestown Speedway, Flamborough Speedway, and many more.
“After mixed success in the 1950’s, the turning point for him came in 1959 when he went to Michigan and convinced Joy Fair to sell Joy’s dominant yellow car to him at the end of the season – one that featured a Dodge Red Ram Hemi motor.
“Scannell was always a threat to win going back to his days of borrowing money to purchase Joy’s Super Modified, and he won in his first night in the car. He continued his winning streak, paying off the loan in one month.
“With 10,000 spectators in attendance, Scannell notably was the first-ever racer to win at the CNE Stadium Speedway. The Globe and Mail subsequently wrote after his victory that Howie Scannell was one of the most talented stock car racers in all of Canada.
“On Good Friday 1960 that he won the feature race at the CNE for the first time in the car he bought off Joy Fair.
“Never one to shy away from new designs to gain a speed advantage, Scannell later surprised everyone when he attached an innovative aerofoil wing to the roof of his Super Modified, and then brought in expert engineers from aerospace company De Havilland to tweak the wing for maximum effect.
“Over the next several years, he successfully moved from team to team and eventually into the Rutledge Rocket before switching to Late-Models in the late 1960s, shortly after the CNE stopped Super-Modified racing in 1964.
“He was instrumental in getting many other drivers into the sport, including his son Howie, Jr., and later his grandson Matthew. He acted as a mentor for those who showed an interest in auto racing.
“Scannell seemed to win on any track he raced on, no matter if it was super-modified or late-model stock cars. Beyond Ontario and Quebec, he also competed in high-level ASA and NASCAR competitions in the United States.
“He went on to drive for many notable racecar owners over a period of 44 years, and was a staple in the auto racing industry for decades, spending much of that time in cars marked with his famous #99.
“Scannell won Flamborough Speedway championships twice – outgunning Canadian Motorsport Hall of Famers like Junior Hanley, Don Biederman, Earl Ross, and Norm Lelliott. Therefore, it is no surprise that Howie Scannell received his own induction call to the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2021.
“He did all of this while raising a family and becoming a successful businessman in Milton, all the while giving back to the community by sponsoring a number of hockey teams along the way.”
The 2024 Milton Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Inductee Panel Unveilings are scheduled for Thursday, November 21st at the FirstOntario Arts Centre Milton. Ticket sales are now open.
For more information, click here.
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