Tom Peat and Mark Nelson, who together won three consecutive national championships, will be inducted into the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Hall of Fame in the Athlete Category.
Peat and Nelson dominated CCAA Badminton, earning gold medals in Men’s Doubles in 1985, 1986 and 1987. They were both named CCAA All-Canadians in each of those three seasons as well.
The student-athletes from Niagara College earned four straight gold medals in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) from 1984-87.
“I was very fortunate to witness two outstanding athletes at the prime of their collegiate careers, as they dominated their competition in Badminton Men’s Doubles for four consecutive years,” said Ray Sarkis, Intercollegiate Coordinator at Niagara College. “This was very evident in the success they had while representing the Knights provincially and nationally.”
Sarkis admired both Peat and Nelson’s work ethic and dedication to their craft, which set them apart from other student-athletes.
While holding the OCAA and CCAA titles for three years, Peat and Nelson lost only one match in Badminton Men’s Doubles during that time.
Peat is grateful for the opportunities provided by the CCAA; he and Nelson were fortunate to travel across the country and visit cities they’d never seen before. They attended CCAA Championships in Saskatoon, SK, Nanaimo, BC, and Edmonton, AB.
While their first CCAA title in 1985 was certainly a highlight, so too was the opportunity to make new friendships along the way.
“My fondest memories were the opportunity to meet fellow competitors and coaches from across Canada,” said Peat. “Also, the electric atmosphere of the gymnasium and the high level of competition was bar none.”
A native of St. Catharines, ON, Peat took pride in representing the college in the area he grew up. On a personal note, he would also meet his wife, who played on the same badminton team at Niagara. The couple has been married for 35 years and have three wonderful children, who have also had success in the sport of badminton.
Nelson is being inducted posthumously. This honour means a great deal to Kathleen Murphy, his mother.
“Mark put a lot of time and effort into this; he loved the sport of badminton, and we are all so proud of him,” said Murphy. “He would have been so pleased; he was proud of his achievements, but he was also very humble.”
Peat and Nelson continued to play together following their collegiate career in the Ontario Badminton Association circuit and won many Men’s Doubles titles.
Together, they were members of the first group of student-athletes to be inducted into the Niagara Knights Hall of Fame when it was established in 1998. In 2005, Peat and Nelson were inducted into the OCAA Hall of Fame.
In addition, Nelson was one of the first to be inducted into the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame in 1990.
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The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) enriches the academic experiences of student-athletes by providing leadership, programs and services that foster development through high-level competitive opportunities in intercollegiate sport.
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Rodney Wilson / rodney@ccaa.ca
Manager, Communications & Events
