Earl Begg, who led the Mohawk Mountaineers to a pair of Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) bronze medals, will be inducted into the CCAA Hall of Fame in the Coach Category.
He is being inducted posthumously.
Begg served as Head Coach of the Women’s Basketball program at Mohawk College in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) for 20 seasons.
He holds the Mohawk record for most wins with 316 career victories and guided the Mountaineers to OCAA Championships in 1981, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1990 and 1991. At the national level, Begg’s teams captured bronze medals at the 1986 and 1990 CCAA Women’s Basketball National Championships – the first medals won by an OCAA institution in Women’s Basketball at the time.
“Earl’s greatest legacy, victories aside, will always be his unwavering commitment and dedication to teaching and coaching women in basketball,” said Laurie Cahill, former Athletic Director at Mohawk College. “At the time there were few men, especially of Earl’s caliber and talent, coaching Women’s Basketball at an elite level.”
Begg’s excellence as a coach was recognized in 1987, 1990 and 1991, when he was named OCAA Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year.
In 1987, he led the Mountaineers to an 11-1 record in OCAA regular season play, a conference championship and a fourth-place finish at nationals. Those accolades earned him the CCAA Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year honour.
Begg retired from coaching in 1998 and was honoured at his last home game by his current and former players at a reception held to celebrate his long list of accomplishments. The strength of the Women’s Basketball program at Mohawk is in large measure due to the dedication, coaching excellence, and high level of commitment that Begg gave each and every day.
“He was always incredibly prepared and detailed as a coach for games and practices,” said Cahill. “I smile reflecting on the times he’d get a little frosty with me if I asked him to alter his practice by just 15 minutes!”
Begg earned the National Coaching Recognition Award from 3M in 1990. He was inducted into the Mountaineers Hall of Fame in 2001, the OCAA Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Basketball Ontario Hall of Fame in 2006.
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