Oshawa Sports Hall Of Fame

It all began in 1982 when, at the request the Oshawa City Council, the Oshawa Civic Auditorium Corporation formed a committee to organize a Sports Hall of Fame. In 1983, the first Board of Governors and a constitution were approved by City Council. The objects of the constitution, at that time, were to recognize and honour the achievements of Oshawa individuals who have attained prominence and distinction in sports as well as those who have made a major contribution to the development of sport. A few years later, the constitution was amended to provide for the induction of teams. With the exception of the first year, the number inductees were not to exceed five individuals or teams. A Selection Committee was appointed and started meeting to select the first inductees for recommendation to the Board. With the cooperation of the City, the site for the Sports Hall of Fame was made available in the Civic Auditorium. In 1985, the Letters Patent was obtained, as well as registration with Revenue Canada as a charitable organization. On May 21, 1986, The Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame was opened and 34 inductees were honoured at the first ceremony before a capacity crowd at the Civic Auditorium. From then on, with financial assistance from the City, an Annual Induction Ceremony with free admission had been held on the last Wednesday in May each year. To recognize the 10th anniversary of the “Hall” in 1995, a dinner was held prior to the Induction Ceremony. Permission to raise funds for the construction of an expanded “Hall” was received from Revenue Canada. 1998 saw the first Fund Raising Dinner and Induction Ceremony take place. The original plans called for a room in the Civic Auditorium to serve as the location for the “Hall”. However, after much investigation it was determine that the Civic Auditorium Complex was an aging facility and that to spend monies renovating the building was not practical and as a result the site for the “Hall” was put on hold. The decision to build a new facility in downtown Oshawa (now named the General Motors Centre) was made by City Council and right from the beginning the Board was included in the planning of the new Sports Hall of Fame. The actual Sports Hall of Fame where the plaques and citations are displayed is located on the main level walls and the 3600 square foot Museum housing artifacts, memorabilia and photographs is also located on this level at the west end behind Section 119. Although the GM Centre was officially opened in November of 2006, the Museum opened unofficially in December of 2007. The Museum was officially opened in the spring of 2008. Including the 2010 inductees,180 individuals and teams have been inducted spanning some 41 categories of sports.