Shown left to right: Mary Wall, Lori Pierson (Hart), George Gemer (on behalf of his wife Carole from the '62-'63 women's basketball team), Shirley Peterson, Diane Wocknitz, Gary Bowie. (Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge College announces six Kodiaks Hall of Fame inductees

Nov 19, 2019 | 3:43 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Six people and groups who have been instrumental to collegiate sports and athletics in the city are being honoured by Lethbridge College (LC).

This weekend will mark the second-ever group to be inducted into the Kodiaks Hall of Fame.

LC Senior Communications Specialist Paul Kingsmith says the college has amassed over 100 ACAC Championships and 20 Canadian championships.

“Those going in on our second class of Hall of Famers, you know that they are very special as we have a lot of people we could honour. These are some of the very best athletes, teams, and builders that have made the Kodiaks [successful] over their time here at the college.”

The 2019 inductees are as follows:

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Builders:

• Val and Flora Matteotti
  • Val and Flora Matteotti were instrumental in establishing the first physical education facilities in LC and spent many years working on scholarship funds and recruitment drives
  • The Kodiaks’ Team of the Year Award is named after the couple, while the gym is officially named the Val Matteotti Gym
• Mary Wall
  • Mary Wall created LC’s precision dance and drill teams and spent many years coaching in volleyball, basketball, and cross country.
  • Wall helped to establish many of the athletics programs at LC

Teams:

• 1962-1963 Women’s Basketball Team
  • The first-ever women’s basketball team at LC
  • They won the Alberta Junior Ladies Championship in their first season
• 1966-1967 Men’s Basketball Team
  • Won the Western Interconference Championship
  • One of LC’s first teams to win a major championship

Athletes:

• Carlos Maffia
  • A four-time ACAC All-Star men’s basketball player
  • Coached the Kodiaks basketball teams for four years, winning Coach of the Year in 1988
• Lori Pierson (Hart)
  • A women’s volleyball player from 1981-1984
  • Pierson is a two-time ACAC All-Star and was the first female Kodiak to be an All-Canadian

Gary Bowie coached both teams that are being inducted this year.

He says he could only help the players out so much.

“They were a group of people who didn’t know when to quit – they just worked, worked all of the time and so it was easy to coach them. They minded well most of the time and I enjoyed working with them.”

Shirley Pederson and Diane Wocknitz were both parts of the 1962-1963 women’s basketball team and were in attendance for Tuesday’s announcement.

Pederson says it was an amazing feeling to be part of something brand new for the city and for the college.

“We were 10 women who didn’t know each other. We came from all different parts of Alberta and came to join the basketball team and ended up being champions. It was wonderful and I hope we did inspire the next group that did come along.”

Since graduating from LC, Wocknitz started coaching ladies slow pitch.

“[Bowie] taught us well to respect one another and to play as a team – it’s a team effort – and that’s just a quality that I still carry to this day in my coaching duties at this time that we don’t get any better if we sit on the bench.”

The official induction ceremonies will take place over the course of this weekend.

During the women’s volleyball game on Friday, Val and Flora Matteotti, Lori Hart, and Mary Wall will be inducted.

Then at Saturday’s women’s basketball game, the ’62-’63 women’s basketball team and the ’66-’67 men’s basketball team, as well as Carlos Maffia, will be inducted.