Over 120 people attended the Brantford and Area Sports Hall of Recognition induction ceremony at the Best Western Hotel and Conference Centre on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
The Brantford and Area Sports Hall of Recognition recognizes hometown athletes, sport builders and teams who have achieved the highest standards of excellence and make significant contributions in their chosen sport.
Four individuals were honoured during the event and will now be showcased in the Sports Hall of Recognition located inside of the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre.
This year’s new members included: Bill Williams, Tom Hawke, Krista DuChene and Paul Szczechura.
Williams was first to be recognized during the event. His long career and dedication to boxing earned him a spot in the hall of recognition as an honouree in the builder category.
A boxer and coach, he began his journey in his youth and went on to compete across Detroit, Buffalo, Toronto and Brantford, compiling an amateur record of 25 wins, three losses and two draws.
In 1980, Williams began coaching as a volunteer with the Boy and Girls Club of Brantford and went on to establish several non-profit box clubs. Over the years, he would go on to develop nine amateaur fighters into professionals, including two Canadian champions.
He also played a key role in organizing community-focused boxing events like the Summerhays Boxing Tournament, Friday Night Fights Under the Lights, Punch out Parkinson’s and the annual Punch out Cancer event.
Accepting his honour, Williams thanked those who were there to support him, saying, “Without you guys, I wouldn’t be standing here.”
Williams added that while he’s had many opportunities throughout his career, including meeting several prominent boxers, one of his most notable achievements was his work with Jennifer Williams.
“Last but not least, my biggest accomplishment as a coach was training Jennifer Williams, who was the only female professional boxer in the history of Brantford, and in 2024 she won the Welterweight Canadian title.
Hawke was then next up to the podium. The longtime lacrosse player was being inducted to the hall of recognition as an athlete.
Having gotten his start in minor lacrosse with the Brantford Warriors, Hawke was coached by the likes of Gaylord Powless and played with many notable teams, gaining several accolades throughout his career as an athlete.
While attending the University of Guelph, Hawke played for the Gryphons Men’s team and would later become the founding coach of the school’s Women’s lacrosse team, helping them secure Ontario University bronze and silver medals in 1998 and 1999 – all while getting his PhD.
“To be recognized today as an individual is hard for me to wrap my head around. Lacrosse has brought so much to my life. …By nature, I’m an introvert, and it actually took me a long time to understand how to communicate, and lacrosse was that bridge for me,” said Hawke. “It taught me how to communicate to my teammates, and it provided me an opportunity to develop and demonstrate leadership and resilience. Most importantly, it taught me the value of teamwork, hard work, and of trusting your teammates, and these are life lessons I’ve taken with me wherever I go, and I think has led me to the person I am today.”
DuChene was later brought up to be inducted into the half of recognition as marathon athlete.
Known as “Canada’s Marathon Mom,” DuChene made history when she became the first Canadian woman to qualify for the Olympic marathon in 20 years when she represented Canada at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Throughout her time as an athlete, DuChene has gained mainly notable accomplishments including placing third overall at the 2018 Boston Marathon, competing at all six Abbott World Marathon Majors, holding a Canadian 50 kilometre record, being crowned a two-time Canadian Marathon Champion, and more.
“From a small town girl who ran on country roads around our farm to the beautiful Brantford and Brant County trails I continue to enjoy today,” she said. “I’m thoroughly blessed with where the sport has taken me and continues to take me. The trials over the years deepened my Christian faith, and the rewards gave me such deep pleasure and gratitude. I will forever be grateful.”
Szczechura was the final athlete to be inducted into the hall recognition for the evening.
The hockey player first got his start with the Brantford Minor Hockey Association and junior B Brantford Golden Eagles, and went on to play three NHL seasons with both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres. He also spent several seasons playing in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), establishing himself as one of the top Canadian players in the league.
On the international stage, Szczechura has also represented Team Canada in two tournaments overseas including the Deutschland Cup. Now retired, he represents Team Canada Inline in annual tournaments and coaches his son’s Brantford 99ers team.
Szczechura told those in attendance that while he was recently inducted into the Western Michigan University Athletics Hall of Fame, it wasn’t the same as the hometown honour.
“Last year I was inducted into the Western Michigan Hall of Fame and it was a great honour, but it just doesn’t feel the same as being inducted into the Brantford Hall of Fame. This is where I grew up. This is where my friends are. This is where I went to school and high school, and played minor hockey, so this one means a lot more to me,” he said. “..I’ve been all around the world, I’ve lived in all these places, and for some reason I always end up back at Brantford. Brantford is changing a lot, but to me I still have my roots here, and there’s still a lot of things in the community that remind me of where I grew up.”
During the ceremony, two other awards were also given out.
Assumption College School student Danike Whipple, and Paris District High School students Sydney Kipp and Canaan Sherbino were awarded with the Ed O’Leary Memorial Award.
Ed O’Leary was a sports reporter with the Brantford Expositor from 1972 until his passing in 2011. The award was created in 2012 in his honour.
Each year, high schools in Brantford and the County of Brant nominate one male and female student for the award and criteria is based on commitment to school sport, leadership, sportsmanship and excellence in athletics.
Free Sport For Growth was also recognized with the Frank Tomlin Memorial Sportsperson of the Year award. It was the first time a group was honoured with the award rather than an individual.
The non-profit organization, which was founded by Dave Levac and Ross Enslev in early 2023, raises money to supply sports equipment and promote outdoor activities for local youth.
The group now consists of a board of directors and a solid base of community-minded volunteers who are committed to helping motivate and inspire youth within the community.
Thanks to the donations of people and corporations in the community, the group has already helped provide equipment to around 3,000 children since it was first established.
Free Sport For Growth is also spearheading work to provide the City of Brantford with a covered, open-air NHL sized outdoor rink at Conklink Park and at no cost to the city.
Levac told guests that he and Enslev were “surprised, honoured and humbled by this award.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
