The Norfolk County Sports Hall of Recognition is proud to announce its Class of 2023.
John Axford, Barry Boughner, Roy Cowan and Paul Smithson are the latest inductees to the Sports Hall. They are in good company as they join over 90 athletes, coaches, builders, and sports ambassadors already inducted.
John Axford grew up in Port Dover and played major league baseball for ten years and earned the nickname “Ax Man”. Axford, suited up for a number of teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, and St. Louis Cardinals.
Barry Boughner of Delhi, was a standout baseball and hockey player, as well as a coach and organizer in the Inter-County Baseball League. Boughner’s on-ice career included six years of professional hockey in the IHL, CHL, AHL, and NHL.
Roy Cowan, a long-time Simcoe resident, is being inducted as a builder/ambassador. Since the 1950s, Cowan played a variety of roles in minor baseball and hockey, including player, coach, referee, umpire, and organizer.
Paul Smithson is being inducted posthumously as an athlete/organizer. As a curler, Smithson skipped his teams to two provincial championship titles and two berths in the Provincial finals, curling for a total of 37 years.
The four Class of 2023 inductees, along with Class of 2022 inductees Shane Bergman and Shirley Shaw, will be formally inducted into the Norfolk County Sports Hall of Recognition at the Induction Dinner Saturday, July 13 at the Hungarian Hall in Delhi.
Additional information about events, past inductees and how to nominate individuals can be found on the Sports Hall’s web site, www.norfolksports.ca.