Douglas certainly left his mark

The sports community in Nova Scotia lost a long-time stalwart – not to mention one of its most fervent supporters – with the passing of Bob Douglas Nov. 19 in Halifax.

Douglas’s career as an athlete, coach and basketball official spanned close to 60 years - and brought him more than his share of successes. If you didn’t know him personally, you at least had heard of him; if you hadn’t heard of him, you just weren’t listening.

Douglas was a talented athlete, primarily (but not exclusively) in basketball, a dedicated teacher and a respected basketball official; but his greatest success – and arguably his greatest impact on countless young Nova Scotian lives – was as a coach.

He was primarily associated with Queen Elizabeth High School in Halifax, where he taught and coached from 1960 to 1993, then he coached a final year following his retirement. His QEH football and basketball teams won more than 800 games and a total of 16 provincial titles. He also coached a pair of Canadian Senior B men’s basketball teams, a Canadian Juvenile champion team and a Maritime champion women’s team.

Douglas graduated from Acadia in 1956 after three years as a student and varsity basketball player. He also coached the basketball Axemen for the 1957/ 1958 season, before continuing his education at Dalhousie and Boston universities.

By the time of his retirement from coaching in 1994, he had attained legendary status – and, like any great coach, perhaps his greatest legacy is the number of his former players, both in football and basketball, who are today coaches themselves.

Douglas received honours for every aspect of his life and career, including the J.A. “Wink” Willox Award for officiating, the Hugh A. Noble Award for contributions to physical education and the Frank Baldwin Award for basketball coaching excellence. He was inducted into both the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame and the Acadia Sports Hall of Fame, and received the City of Halifax 250th Anniversary Medal for his contributions to the community.

Arguably the greatest tribute he received (in his own estimation as well) came when QEH and St. Patrick’s High amalgamated to form Citadel High School, and the new school’s gymnasium was named the Bob Douglas Community Gym.

An avid golfer, particularly following his retirement, Douglas was an active member of the Northumberland Golf Club for 20 years, serving on its board, including a term as president.

His other “retirement project” was a chronicle of a life in sport from his own perspective, entitled “Life Is A Ball,” published in 2000 - one of the best books on Nova Scotia sport I have read and a “must-read” for anyone with an interest in the province’s sport history.

Before I read “Life Is a Ball,” Bob Douglas was just a name to me. Afterwards, I felt I knew the man, even though I still hadn’t ever met him in person – something I did fortunately manage to rectify a couple of times in the years since.

I’ve heard it said by some who played against his teams Douglas had a bit of a swagger about him – based on supreme confidence, both in his own abilities and those of his teams rather than on any kind of vanity.

The same people suggested, off the court – or even after the game, he was both a true gentleman and a good friend.

A friend that will be missed wherever in Nova Scotia teams gather to play, or followers of sport in this province gather to remember.