Oren Safir
| Oren Safir | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1928 |
| Years in Thunder Bay | by 1946–1951; from 1960s |
Oren Safir (born 1928) was a multi-talented athlete and sports administrator who won a national heavyweight boxing title and served numerous athletic organizations in Northwestern Ontario. Oren Safir was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 as an athlete.[1]
Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame
Oren Safir was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame on 30 September 2000 in the athlete category for boxing, swimming, golf, tennis, skiing, football, basketball, track & field, cycling, baseball and hockey, representing Fort William.[1]
Career
Safir began his athletic development as a student at Fort William Collegiate, where he participated in track and field, football, and Basketball. During his youth, he also dedicated significant time to Boxing. In 1946, at the age of 18, he traveled to Montreal to compete in the Dominion of Canada Boxing Championships. He defeated the local favorite, Angelo Nickilo, to claim the title of Canadian Heavyweight Boxing Champion. Following this victory, he transitioned away from competitive boxing to earn a degree in Chiropractics.[1]
In the 1950s and 1960s, Safir remained active in aquatic sports. He secured the Northwestern Ontario men's Swimming championship in the 100-yard freestyle in 1951. During the 1960s, he contributed to the sport as an instructor for the Marlin Swim Team. His involvement in community sports extended to the foundational years of Little League Baseball in the region and executive roles with the Fort William Redskins football club and the Fort William Beaver Hockey Club. He also served as a board member for the Fort William Gardens arena.[1]
Safir held various leadership positions within the local Golf, Tennis, and Skiing communities. He served on the boards of the Chapples Golf Club and the Fort William Country Club. In alpine sports, he was a patrol leader for the Fort William Ski Patrol and vice president of the Loch Lomond Alpine Ski Club, while also sitting on the board of Thunder Bay Nordic Trails. During the 1970s, he acted as a director and president of the Fort William Tennis Club. He later represented the Ontario Tennis Association and served as an officials representative for tennis during the 1981 Jeux Canada Games.[1]
In his later years, Safir turned his focus toward Cycling. In 1987, at age 60, he joined a team of eight cyclists who rode from Thunder Bay to Edmonton to deliver the city's bid for the 1994 Commonwealth Games. He continued to compete internationally, participating in cycling events at the 1989 World Masters Games held in Denmark.[1]
Residence in the Thunder Bay area (by 1946–1951; from 1960s) rests on the following dated evidence. He attended high school in Fort William, won a regional swimming title in 1951, and was active in various local sports clubs and boards from the 1960s through at least 1989.[1]
Honours and achievements
- Won the Canadian Heavyweight Boxing Championship in 1946
- Won the Northwestern Ontario Men's Swimming title in the 100-yard Freestyle in 1951
- Served as President of the Fort William Tennis Club during the 1970s
- Acted as an Officials Representative for tennis at the 1981 Jeux Canada Games
- Participated in the 1989 World Masters Games in Denmark as a cyclist
- Completed a cycling trek to Edmonton in 1987 to support Thunder Bay's Commonwealth Games bid[1]
Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame team
Oren Safir is listed as a member of the 1958 Fort William Redskins, inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.[2] This is the same man: the Hall of Fame team roster lists an Oren Safir on the 1958 Fort William Redskins, a Fort William intermediate football team, and the inductee page records a Fort William football player and boxer born in 1928 (age 30 in 1958).
Other records
The following comes from the page Oren Safir (fl. 1993), which is taken to be the same person (the index entries name a Thunder Bay chiropractor who cycled to Edmonton in 1987 for a games bid, matching the Hall of Fame profile of a chiropractor who cycled for the Commonwealth Games bid; the index age of 41 in 1993 does not fit a man born in 1928 and is probably a misprint).
Newspaper record
- Biographical notice in The Chronicle-Journal, 1993-07-05.[3]
- Recorded as occurring 30 June 1993.
- Age recorded as 41 years.
- Index note: Chiropractor 41 years.
- Biographical notice in The Chronicle-Journal, 1983-02-12.[4]
- Index note: Cousin of 60 Minutes Morley Safer.
- Photo notice in The Chronicle-Journal, 1987-05-13.[5]
- Index note: Cycling to Edmonton/games bid.
- Photo notice in The Chronicle-Journal, 1985-06-03.[6]
- Index note: Cheque presentation.
- Photo notice in The Chronicle-Journal, 1984-08-27.[7]
- Index note: Kiwanis supported camp trip.
- Photo notice in Fort William Daily Times-Journal, 1969-09-05.[8]
- Index note: Ice Follies promo.
- Possibly the same as Oren Herbert Safir; the name matches, but too little is shared to merge the pages.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Dr. Oren Safir", athlete profile, Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, https://www.nwosportshalloffame.com/athlete-profile/9e310b8f-7f24-4d45-8c25-1f85f77e6eca (accessed 31 October 2026). Archived copy on datum.locker.
- ↑ "Fort William Redskins Intermediate Football", team profile, Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, https://www.nwosportshalloffame.com/team-profile/7f857dca-81aa-4c94-ae53-aae16940ab3d (accessed 31 October 2026). Archived copy on datum.locker.
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 5 July 1993, p. 11
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 12 February 1983, p. 15
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 13 May 1987, p. 17
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 3 June 1985, p. 3
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 27 August 1984, p. 17
- ↑ Fort William Daily Times-Journal, 5 September 1969, p. 6