Tod Schoolboy Curling Rink (1958)
Tod Schoolboy Curling Rink (1958) was a youth curling team from Fort William that captured the first national curling championship for the Lakehead region. The team was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.[1]
Overview
Season
The Tom Tod rink represented Fort William during the 1958 Curling season. The group began their championship run by winning four consecutive matches at the local level. This performance qualified them for the Northwestern Ontario playdowns held in Noranda, Quebec. At the regional playdowns, the team maintained their momentum by winning all four of their games to secure a spot in the national finals.[1]
The 1958 Canadian Schoolboy Curling Championship took place at the Charlottetown Arena in Prince Edward Island. Competing against ten other teams from across Canada, the Fort William representatives finished the tournament with a record of nine wins and one loss. Their path to the title included several lopsided scores, such as a 15-5 defeat of the entry from New Brunswick. In the championship game, the Tod rink secured the national title by defeating British Columbia with a final score of 8-5. Over the course of their entire 1958 campaign, the team lost only a single game out of 25 played.[1]
Following their national success, Tom Tod returned in 1959 with a different roster to defend the Northern Ontario schoolboy title. While that squad won the Pepsi-Cola Trophy to qualify for the Canadian finals again, they were unable to repeat as national champions. The 1958 victory established a precedent for Thunder Bay secondary and post-secondary schools to compete at the national level in the sport.[1]
Roster
The names below come from the Hall of Fame profile and its team photograph caption.[1]
| Name | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Tod | skip | |
| Neil McLeod | third | |
| Patrick Moran | second | |
| David Allin | lead | |
| Dick Symes | coach |
Honours and achievements
- 1958 Canadian Schoolboy Curling Champions
- 1958 Northwestern Ontario Schoolboy Champions
- Recorded 24 wins and 1 loss during the 1958 season
- First national curling title winners from the Lakehead region[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Tod [Tom] Schoolboy Curling Rink", team profile, Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, https://www.nwosportshalloffame.com/team-profile/bcfd168c-7f82-4609-bf30-160d305f01e3 (accessed 31 October 2026). Archived copy on datum.locker.