By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
The Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame has announced its first brother-and-sister inductees, five years apart.
Daniel Milligan was inducted in 2021 for his achievements in lawn bowls. For the same sport, his sister Sharyl Ann has been named among the 2026 inductees.
Milligan and seven other 2026 inductees were announced Sunday in a special event Sunday at the Baltimore Community Centre, sponsored by John Foley’s Foodland.
Joel Scott – who has emceed every one of these events since they began in 2019 – was back to introduce the eight newest Hall of Fame members in alphabetical order, along with amazing accounts of their achievements.
Elizabeth (Liz) Basinger
This life-long Cobourger has not only been a longtime fixture on the local sporting scene, but has also been a driving force whose countless volunteer efforts have enriched the sporting life of her community.
A constant presence at the arena (often “running the gate” on game nights), she was a vital part of the Cobourg Cougars’ transition to the Tier II Junior A ranks in 1992, and stayed on as the team transferred to being a privately owned entity. She has won countless awards for her volunteering (from the Cougars and the Ontario Hockey Associations to the Cobourg Civic Awards, to name a few). The breadth of knowledge gained over the years form this work has made her a valued consultant and adviser to countless sporting initiatives. These include the Dudley Hewitt Cup (1996), the World Junior A
Challenge (2015) and the RBC Cup (2017 – the year she was announced as one of the inaugural board of directors members for the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame).
Chris Crooks
Crooks decided to start wrestling in Grade 7, a choice that would profoundly affect his future life (and the lives of countless others). At the University of Guelph, on the Gryphons wrestling team, he was a four-time All-Canadian, a two-time CIAU gold medalist (1982 and 1984) and a CIAU bronze medalist (1981).
He was also named team MIP in 1980-81 and their MVP in 1984-85. That same year, as he graduated, he was named the W.F. Mitchell Sportsman of the Year. He also helped lead Guelph to three consecutive national team titles in 1981, 1982 and 1983, winning the Canadian Junior Championship and earning a bronze medal at the Junior Pan American Championships in 1981. The University of Guelph recognized this stellar record by inducting him into their own Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. Crooks later moved to Northumberland County, teaching and coaching for 25 years. In 2015, he moved to Cambridge Bay in Nunavut, where he taught elementary school and worked as a youth counsellor. He has also begun a wrestling program that uses the sport as a vehicle for growth and social development.
Danny Frei
Inspired by CDCI West teacher Jerry Lawless (a previous Hall of Fame inductee), Frei began his own legacy of mentorship at age 19 as a teacher at Dale Road Senior Public School while completing his bachelor’s degree work at Trent University. He would teach for 32 years. An avid outdoorsman with a keen interest in science and exploration, he championed indoor and outdoor athletics to promote healthy minds and bodies while fostering leadership and character. His lifelong interest in shooting and hunting – including 35 years of service and executive roles with the Northumberland Pistol and Revolver Club – was recognized in 1994 when he became one of the first licensees to teach and examine the Canadian Firearms Safety Course in Ontario. Over the next quarter-century, his name became synonymous with education int he safe use of firearms for the local hunting-and-sports community.
John Hayden
Hayden’s legacy spans a number of roles – athlete, teacher, coach, volunteer, referee, convenor, executive member, visionary – and is based on generosity, leadership, loyalty and dedication. “Born, raised and devoted to all things Cobourg,” as emcee Scott said, he made his first mark on the local sporting scene as a stand-out softball pitcher with the Dairy Queen Juveniles and then Juniors, capturing back-to-back OASA Juvenile Championships in 1970 and 1971. In 1970, he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Pitcher. The following year, he tossed a two-hit shutout in the championship game.
Hayden enjoyed a long career in education locally, focusing on special needs and finding pride and fulfillment in the lives of his students. But he did not leave sports behind. In addition to coaching numerous school team sports, he immersed himself in the local sporting scene – hockey, softball, soccer and (his personal favourite) basketball. His administrative talents, knowledge and local contacts were invaluable assets, as was his calm and steady manner, He was recognized in 2010 when he was named chairman of a feasibility study for the future Cobourg Community Centre. And in 2017, he was named one of the original board of directors for the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame.
Jake Maarse
Maarse grew up in Asimeer (outside Amsterdam) and, as a nine-year-old boy, was captivated by the legendarily difficult and uncompromising Eleven City Race – a 200-km. long-distance skating competition in Northern Holland. He was inspired to take up competitive skating. Emigrating to Canada in 1976, he and his wife eventually settled into farm life near Cobourg. And he took the chance to renew his love of long-distance skating through various events throughout North America and Europe. In 2001-2003, he was the only skater competing in all three distances (10K, 25K and 45K) at the Lake Placid marathons, winning all three. To celebrate the achievement, the Jake Maarse Award was created to be presented annually at that event for skaters who also participated in all three. In 2004, Maarse cofounded Marathon Skating International, where he currently sits on the executive board. He also serves on the board of Speedskating Canada and helped with the establishment of the MSI Race Series (which sees seven events contested throughout North America). Now living in Ottawa with his wife, he continues to be active in that community and receive numerous citations for his volunteer efforts.
Chris Markle
Markle’s name is synonymous with the history of golf in this community. When Dalewood Golf and Country Club opened in 1974, Markle immediately captured their Bantam championship. In the years since, at Dalewood alone, he has claimed four Club Junior Championships, 19 Club Men’s Championships and six Club Senior Men’s Championships – and counting. Representing Dalewood in 1996, alongside club pro Graham Gunn and women’s champion Jeanne Beaith, the trio won the CPGA of Ontario Championship. Outside Dalewood, Markle has won numerous championships – he’s been considered an ambassador by some and a godfather by others when it comes to golf in the local region and beyond. If there is a local competition – a member competition at Dalewood, a Lefty-Righty Tournament with his buddy Dan O’Donoghue, a regional or provincial qualifier, a charity event, or even a fun outing with friends – he’ll be there (likely at or near the top of the leaderboard).
Sharyl Ann Milligan
Milligan has been a trailblazer in lawn bowling for more than 50 years, as a national team player, official, coach and administrator – at local, provincial, national and international levels. The Provincial Ladies’ Champion in 1990, she was also a valued member of the national team during this same time period, capturing the North American Challenge in 1993. That same year, she was selected to the National Officiating team for the Mazda Pacific Bowls Championship as well as the 1994 Commonwealth Games held in Victoria, BC. In 2002, she was chosen as Canada’s only Technical Official in Lawn Bowling at the Commonwealth Games held in Manchester, England, and also began an eight-year tenure on the World Bowls Law Committee. That was the year she retired form a career working with youth and took on the task of reviving the long-shuttered Cobourg Lawn Bowling Youth Club. Aiming only to give back to a sport that had given her so much joy, she arranged to go to local schools and offer indoor orientation in the sport in the hopes that some of the students would sign on for more – which eventually happened. In time, she would personally coach young people who have medaled on the world stage. In 2023, in recognition of her service and dedication to the sport, Milligan was induced as a Builder into the Ontario Lawn Bowls Sports Hall of Fame.
Ken “Nipper” Stevenson
Born in Cobourg, Stevenson balanced a small stature with a strong desire and drive to succeed – on a ball field, in a hockey rink or for countless hours at the gym to become an elite-level body builder. He first made his mark locally in 1974 by winning the Dalewood Golf and Country Club Junior Championship.
The following year, he was part of the Sommerville’s Juvenile Fastball team that captured the Provincial Championship. Two years later, he repeated the feat with the Grafton Junior Fastball Team. He joined the Cobourg Cougars in 1976 and enjoyed a dream season – scoring 40 goals as a rookie, winning Rookie of the Year honours and also voted the team’s most popular player. Years later, after turning 40, he began working toward re-entering athletic competition in competitive bodybuilding. In 1999, he won the Men’s Masters 40+ Division and claimed the title of Mr. Ottawa. The following year, he placed third in the same competition. In 2005, he placed third in the Men’s Masters 40+ Fame Championships, following that up with three straight first-place finishes in the same competition in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Two years later, he claimed first place in the Men’s Masters 40+ UFE Championship – in all, claiming four finishes at the top of the podium in 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2018 (with a second-place finish in 2016).
Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini was present in order to present Ontario Congratulatory Certificates to the Hall of Fame inductee class of 2022 – Paul Allen, Heather Brown, Al Burnham, Roger Cole, Elaine Devlin, Ross Quigley, Dick and Ann Raymond, and Gail Johns-Rees (who could not be present because she’s competing in a race).
These annual induction announcements are always a chance to share the latest news from the Hall of Fame – such as the new opportunity on their website to purchase logo wear.
Both the Baltimore Community Centre and the Cobourg Community Centre have set aside display-case space for exhibits honouring inductees. And at the CCC, there are plaques for each inductee on the upper east wall beside the walking track.
Condolences were extended to the families of two previous inductees. Frank Mazza – an inductee from the first group in 2019, who went on to be inducted also into the Peterborough Sports Hall of Fame – died in November. And Craig Williams, the father of past inductee Justin Williams, died last month.
The official induction dinner for the 2026 contingent of new Hall of Fame members will be June 19 at the Best Western Cobourg Plus Inn and Convention Centre, with tickets soon to be available.
That will also be the occasion to announce this year’s winners of the Ross Quigley Youth In Sport Award, named in honour of the Cobourg resident (and past Hall of Fame inductee) whose passion for local sports of all kinds led him to get the ball rolling on the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame.
These $1,000 bursaries are given each year to two students (not of the same gender) to support a student athlete by recognizing and rewarding their athletic, academic and community achievement and involvement through financial assistance to further their education.
Eligible students will be attending a Northumberland County school and will reside within the Hall of Fame catchment area – the Town of Cobourg, Alderville First Nation, and the Townships of Hamilton, Cramahe and Alnwick-Haldimand.
Award criteria and application forms will be available through school guidance offices and on the Hall of Fame website. The deadline to nominate this year’s Ross Quigley recipient is May 1.
And the deadline to nominate inductees for next year’s Hall of Fame contingent is Sept. 30.
