ANTIGONISH, N.S. — Three athletes and two builders are the newest members of the St. F.X. Sports Hall of Fame.
Andrew Culligan (hockey), Dave Liem (soccer), Beth McCharles (soccer, hockey), Cecil MacLean (builder) and Dr. David Cudmore (builder) were inducted Oct. 3 at the St. F.X. Schwartz School of Business Auditorium as part of Homecoming 2019 celebrations on the Antigonish campus.
“It is always one of the highlights of the year,” St. F.X. Director of Athletics and Recreation Leo MacPherson said in his opening remarks during the ceremony.
He noted the “remarkable body of work” fashioned by the inductees.
“You have all been amazing,” MacPherson said.
Scoring star
Antigonish native Dave Liem, a standout scorer for four seasons with the X-Men soccer team, described his induction as “truly a great honour.”
“I loved my time at St. F.X. It was special for me,” he said, noting the “exceptional people” he played with and met during the time at his alma mater.
Liem credited Frank Isherwood, his coach in junior and high school, for helping with his development.
“He was the perfect coach for both of us,” Liem said of retired X-Men head coach Lou Bilek, who moved him from striker to center midfield.
As for the ‘us,’ Liem was talking about him and his long-time teammate, including with the X-Men, Glenn MacDougall, who was inducted into the Hall in 2018.
“Dave exploded and had an outstanding rookie season,” MacDougall said of his friend, who scored nine goals in his freshman campaign with the X-Men, while reading his induction citation.
Liem, who was an all-star for three seasons in the then-AUAA, led the X-Men in scoring for three campaigns. A second-team All-Canadian in 1983 – the first X-Men soccer player to receive the honour – he finished with 27 career goals.
“He is, by far, the best player ever at X,” MacDougall said.
‘Rise to the occasion’
Former X-Men hockey head coach Wayne Synishin remembered not only the skills, but also his hockey IQ, work ethic and focus.
“He was always able to rise to the occasion,” he said of inductee Andy Culligan, who scored 194 points over five seasons with the program.
Synishin noted his left winger, much like stars do in other sports, wanted the puck on his stick during crunch time.
“And, when you had the puck, you better keep your head up when Andy was on the ice,” Synishin said, adding being hit by Culligan as akin to being in the “middle of the railroad tracks.”
The three-time Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association (AIAA) all-star garnered rookie of the year (1971) and MVP (1972) honours for the X-Men.
“I am very humbled and honoured,” Culligan said when he took the podium, noting he was thrilled to join the other members of the Hall.
He fondly recalled his time in Antigonish including summers spent working in the community at Taylor’s Farm and playing softball and baseball.
“I love my time in Antigonish and at St. F.X.,” Culligan said.
He added he “owes a great deal” to his alma mater.
Dual-sport athlete
Beth McCharles remembers the “amazing energy” and sense of belonging that she felt when she arrived on the St. F.X. campus.
The Coxheath, Cape Breton native not only completed her human kinetics degree at X – the foundation for what has become a stellar professional career as a mental performance coach –but also played varsity soccer and hockey.
She described the induction as something “not based on an individual’s accomplishments,” while praising many, including her coaches, teammates, family and friends for their contributions.
“It is about surrounding yourself with greatness,” McCharles noted.
She reflected on mentors, such as retired professor – and X-Women sport pioneer – Peggy Gallant, and former university president Sean Riley, had on her.
“He fought for us and he was always there,” McCharles said of Frank Isherwood, her head coach with the hockey X-Women.
On the pitch, the goalkeeper garnered the AUS most valuable player award, in 1998, while becoming the second X-Women soccer player to be named a first-team All-Canadian.
McCharles earned a second-team national nod and AUS first-team all-star recognition in 2000.
She also helped lead the X-Women hockey team to three conference crowns.
“She is still the feisty, fun-loving and humble girl from Cape Breton,” friend and classmate Alexis MacDonald said during her reading of the inductee’s citation.
She also touched on McCharles’ accomplishments; not only professionally, but also as a pioneer in coaching women’s sport, including as head coach of the University of Toronto varsity program.
The pioneer
For almost a half century, Dr. Cecil MacLean chronicled most of the signature moments in the history of St. F.X. sports.
The late French professor made countless contributions to athletics at X, including hosting Inside Sports – a weekly Sunday evening show for 46 years on CJFX (now 989 XFM) – that focussed greatly on intercollegiate sports, and penning a column for more than 31 years in the Casket.
From the late 1940s to early 1960s, he volunteered as a play-by-play voice for radio broadcasts, also on CJFX, of road games in hockey and rugby.
“He is a sports’ icon,” Bill Kiely, also a Hall member, said in reading MacLean’s citation.
He also outlined his friend’s accomplishments as head coach of the X-Men hockey team, which included Nova Scotia and Maritime intercollegiate championships in 1941.
In the mid-1940s, MacLean also resuscitated baseball at his alma mater and coached the team for a decade.
He was also the founding member of the St. F.X. Varsity Club, which established the Hall of Fame in 1976. For many years, he was a key member of the induction committee, including researching and writing citations.
Along with Kiley, his grandson Bart Sears – who accepted the honour on behalf of his family – reflected on MacLean’s “last contributions” to St. F.X. varsity athletics.
Noting his grandfather’s reputation as an advocate for gender equity in sports – long before it was a focus – Sears said he would be proud that the X-Women rugby program would be taking center stage a couple days later during Homecoming.
“It is a great and humbling honour,” Sears said, in accepting the induction on behalf of his family.
The doctor is in
When he took the podium, Dr. David Cudmore said he was “totally speechless,” much like he was when Leo MacPherson informed him of his induction.
“It is an incredible honour,” the Antigonish-based physician said.
“It has been a pleasure and a privilege [to do this work] and has meant more to me than words can express.”
Cudmore has been the medical leader of the sports medicine team for St. F.X. athletics for 30 years, which has included covering hundreds of X games – both home and on the road.
“We are extremely fortunate to have a doctor of his calibre,” Tara Sutherland, St. F.X. head athletic therapist, said of her colleague and friend.
In reflecting on his “journey” in sports medicine, the general practitioner credited his late mentor – Dr. John Howard – for bringing him on board with X athletics.
“He was my coach,” Cudmore said, quipping about their trips to St. Martha’s Regional Hospital “to borrow a few supplies” before games.
Although he is not an alumnus, he suggested, he “did get an education at St. F.X.”
“It has been life-changing and life-defining for me,” Cudmore said of his Xaverian athletics’ experience.
He also spoke proudly of the “next generation” now working with him, including Drs. Jane Anne Howard – daughter of his mentor – and Allison McGlashan.
“You are my rock,” he said of Sutherland, who he called a “fantastic colleague.”
Cudmore also praised coaches he has worked with, including veteran X-Men basketball mentor Steve Konchalski.
“He made me feel like I was part of the team,” he noted.
And, of course, the countless student-athletes he has worked with over the years.
“It revolves around the joy of working with you,” Cudmore said, noting their dedication to their respective sports.
He noted he could tell many stories.
“Fortunately, there is patient confidentiality,” Cudmore added, with a laugh.
