Five new members have joined the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame, bringing the total number of inductees to 203 since the hall was founded in 1990.
The Class of 2026 — John Dakin, Wally Dick, Jeff Finley, Kirsten Moore-Towers and Albino Pereira — was celebrated at a ceremony at the hall of fame on the concourse level of the Meridian Centre, according to a City of St. Catharines news release. Each inductee received a commemorative plaque and pin, and their names have been added to the David S. Howes St. Catharines Sports Wall of Fame.
"We are proud to recognize these exceptional athletes and builders who have shaped sports in St. Catharines," said Peter Partridge Jr., St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame Chair. "Whether on the field or behind the scenes, they have demonstrated unwavering commitment, mentorship, and a genuine passion for advancing our community's sporting culture."
"We are proud to recognize these exceptional athletes and builders who have shaped sports in St. Catharines," said Peter Partridge Jr., St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame Chair. "Whether on the field or behind the scenes, they have demonstrated unwavering commitment, mentorship, and a genuine passion for advancing our community's sporting culture."
Moore-Towers, who was born in St. Catharines, is a three-time Olympian in pairs figure skating, representing Canada at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Winter Games. At Sochi 2014, she and partner Dylan Moscovitch helped Canada win silver in the inaugural Olympic team figure skating event.
She is a four-time Canadian national pairs champion — the 2011 title with Moscovitch, and three consecutive titles in 2019, 2020 and 2022 with Michael Marinaro. She retired in 2022 after 13 international seasons and now works as a coach and broadcast analyst.
Finley's football career began in the Niagara Minor Football League and took him to the University of Guelph, where he earned invitations to the East-West Bowl and the regional CFL Combine. He was drafted 22nd overall by the Montreal Alouettes in 2014 and later signed with the Toronto Argonauts, who won the Grey Cup in 2017. He retired in 2019 and now coaches the Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School Bulldogs, his former school.
Pereira was inducted as a builder after a coaching career spanning more than three decades, including 28 years at Eden High School, where he built one of the most successful high school volleyball programs in Ontario. His teams won multiple SOSSA championships and at least nine OFSAA gold medals in a 10-year span.
Dakin helped the Cleland Junior A's win the Canadian Junior Fastball Championship in 1980 and was a member of the St. Catharines Junior B Falcons' Golden Horseshoe Championship team in 1980–81, when he was named the league's Most Valuable Player. He later starred for the Brock University men's hockey team, finishing second in OUAA scoring, and went on to coach basketball at Governor Simcoe Secondary School and with the St. Catharines Rebels.
Dick, remembered as one of Canada's best fastball and softball pitchers of the 1960s and 1970s, won the Top Pitcher Award when the St. Catharines TeePees captured the Canadian Fastball Championships in 1968. He also played basketball for the Brock Badgers, was named St. Catharines Athlete of the Year for 1969, and was inducted into the Brock University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.
"The dedication and passion each of you has brought to sport throughout your lives, whether through athletic achievement or service to others through your contributions have helped strengthen St. Catharines' proud sporting tradition and inspire future generations," said Mayor Mat Siscoe.
To be eligible for the hall, candidates must have been born or raised in St. Catharines or lived in the city during their sporting career. The hall of fame is open for viewing during public events at the Meridian Centre, and its current exhibit, developed with the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum, highlights lacrosse across Ontario.
