Bob Allan to be Inducted Into Ontario Sports Hall of Fame

Canadian Lacrosse Association – Bob ‘Bobby’ Allan, famed lacrosse player and coach, was named one of six new members of the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, a richly deserved honour for a man who’s outstanding achievements in sport are well documented.

 

In his heyday, Allan was in a class by himself as one of the flashiest stickhandlers and finest lacrosse player in Canada. His consummate skill, agility and adroitness in faking a move made him one-of-a-kind. His backhand shot was a prototype move.

 

Allan played two years of Junior A lacrosse in Peterborough, leading the league in scoring during the 1953 season with 67 points (38 g, 29 a) in 20 games. He moved on to Peterborough senior squad the following season, winning his first Mann Cup. It marked the start of a stellar 13-year senior amateur career in which he captured three more Mann Cup championships (Nanaimo, 1956; New Westminster, 1962; and Peterborough, 1966) and played in another four Mann Cup finals.

 

During his career, he won three league scoring titles, three league MVP awards, and the Mike Kelly Award as Mann Cup MVP. He scored an astonishing 89 goals in 29 games in 1956 with Nanaimo, a record that still stands today.

 

Allan later moved into coaching, which included stints in the senior amateur ranks in Peterborough, where he won a Mann Cup in 1973, and in the professional ranks in Philadelphia, where he guided the first incarnation of the Wings franchise. He also coached field lacrosse, helping the Canadian national team capture a gold medal at the 1978 world championship in England.

 

He’s already a member of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame, and was also one of 55 members of the Canadian lacrosse community honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal back in 2012.

 

Allan will be inducted into the Hall alongside Paul Coffey (Hockey), John Campbell (Harness Racing), Marnie McBean (Rower), Bob Gainey (Hockey) and John Hiller (Baseball).

 

The Class of 2017 will be honoured at the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame 2017 Induction Ceremony & Awards Gala in Toronto at The Westin Harbour Castle (Metropolitan Ballroom) on October 2, 2017.

 

 

Founded in 1867, the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) is the governing body responsible for all aspects of lacrosse in Canada. Our organization is comprised of 10 Member Associations representing nearly 80,000 individual participants, including coaches, officials, and athletes of all ages and abilities. The CLA’s mission is to honour the sport of lacrosse and its unique nation-building heritage, by engaging our members, leading our partners, and providing opportunities for all Canadians to participate. We strive to accomplish this while adhering to our core values of health, excellence, accountability, respect and teamwork. The CLA oversees the delivery of numerous national championships and the participation of Team Canada at all international events sanctioned by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). The CLA is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same vision and values, including our corporate partners – New Balance Athletics, Warrior Sports, Westjet, and Baron Rings – as well as our funding partners the Government of Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada, and the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation. For more information on Canadian Lacrosse Association and the sport of lacrosse, visit our website at www.lacrosse.ca and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

For more information, please contact:
 

Director of Marketing & Partnerships

Ontario Sports Hall of Fame

Email: rajeevan@oshof.ca

 

Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Canadian Lacrosse Association
Phone: 613-260-2028 ext. 302
Email: alain@lacrosse.ca