The five new inductees into the Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame, left to right: Steven Price (athlete – fastpitch softball), Frank Halligan (builder – sports administration), Megan Suddergaard-Pfeiffer (athlete – volleyball), Ted Carson (builder – volleyball), and Jeff Boyd (athlete – sailor). Photo via Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame.
The newest inductees to the Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame have been announced, and five deserving people will soon take their place among some of the city’s most accomplished athletes and builders. During the Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 meeting of Kingston City Council, Roland Billings announced the following five individuals as the Hall’s class of 2024:
Jeff Boyd (Athlete – Sailing)
Boyd’s name was the first to be read during Tuesday’s meeting. Billings described the sailor’s illustrious 50-plus-year career, saying, “Jeff started sailing at the age of 12 in the junior sailing program at the Kingston Yacht Club. From those early beginnings, Jeff went on to have a competitive and diverse sailing career.”
Throughout the 1970s, Boyd found success in the laser class (ILCA 7), finishing runner-up at Canadian Nationals on four separate occasions and achieving a second-place finish at the 1984 U.S. Nationals. In 1988, Boyd took home the crown at the North American championships. Over the years, Boyd also competed at various world championship regattas, earning multiple top-five finishes.
On two occasions, Boyd served as the tactician aboard the Canadian Challenge Boat at the prestigious America’s Cup race in Newport, Rhode Island. Following Boyd’s 1983 trip to Newport as part of the ‘Canada 1’ crew, the sailor returned home and authored the book Trials: Canada 1 and the 1983 America’s Cup with the help of Doug Hunter.
During Tuesday’s announcement, Billings also touched on the many years Boyd spent coaching sailing in Kingston and around the world. In 1984, Boyd served as one of the coaches for Team Canada in the summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, helping Terry McLaughlin and Evert Bastet win silver in the Flying Dutchman class. Three years later, in 1987, Boyd helped coach the Korean National Sailing Team.
Locally, Boyd has long been a fixture of Kingston’s sailing community, mentoring countless young sailors, including his daughter Danielle Boyd, who went on to represent Canada at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Away from the sport, Boyd spent decades teaching math within the Limestone District School Board (LDSB).
Ted Carson (Builder – Volleyball)
Originally hailing from Barrie, Carson moved to Kingston in 1971, and for the past five-plus decades he has played a significant role as a coach, organizer, and official across numerous amateur sports. Best known for his contributions to the local volleyball community, Carson also coached basketball, cross country, and track and field as an elementary school teacher.
Over the span of six years at Ernestown Secondary School (ESS), Carson helped coach the junior girls’ volleyball team to four separate Kingston Area Secondary School Athletic Association (KASSAA) titles and helped guide the junior boys’ volleyball team to one KASSAA championship.
In 2007-8, Carson coached the Ontario Under-17 Girls Volleyball Team to a D2 national championship. For many years Carson also played an important role with the Pegasus Volleyball Club, supporting countless young athletes and serving on the organization’s executive from 1997 to 2017.
As Billings remarked, Carson’s decades of service to the local amateur volleyball scene have earned him recognition from his many peers. “He is well-liked and admired in the local volleyball community for his exemplary character, relentless commitment, and dedication to his sport.”
In addition to his induction into the Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame, Carson has received numerous awards and honours, including the Ontario Municipal Recreation Association Award (1992), the LDSB Outstanding Service Award (2002), the Kiwanis Club Builder Award (2005), and the Ontario Volleyball Achievement Award (2016).
Frank Halligan (Builder – Sports Administration)
Another inductee under the builder category, Frank Halligan is a well-known sports administrator throughout the city, having spent over 60 years as a coach, organizer, and mentor. Over the decades, Halligan was involved in several different clubs and high school sports, coaching more than 60 different teams throughout his career and leading teams to local high school championships in football, rugby, and boys’ basketball. The Kingston native also spent seven seasons as a coach for the Queen’s Golden Gaels football program.
As a local teacher, Halligan also helped organize various clubs and competitions, providing a stage for Kingston’s young amateur athletes to shine. From 2010 to 2022, Halligan was the athletic coordinator for KASSAA, convening 12 sports across 13 different high schools.
In 2007, Halligan launched “Coaching with Coaches,” which helped train a new generation of coaches in sports like soccer, basketball, rugby, hockey, and football. Through 12 different conferences, Halligan’s program supported over 3,000 coaches from all over the world.
During his announcement, Billings reflected on Halligan’s impact as a teacher and coach: “Frank Halligan was the true essence of the teacher-coach, fully understanding the importance of fostering the values of leadership, equity, inclusivity, and respect in everyone he taught in the classroom and on the sports courts and fields.”
Halligan’s induction into the Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame is just the latest in a long line of awards he has already received, such as the Padre Laverty Award for outstanding service to Queen’s University and the Kingston Community, the Barry C. O’Connor Excellence in Support Staff Award by the LDSB, and the Pete Beach Award for dedication to high school sport.
Steven Price (Athlete – Fastpitch Softball)
One of the city’s most accomplished softball players, Steven Price was best known for his powerful left-handed pitch and his abilities as a hitter. Throughout his career, Price competed locally, nationally, and internationally, moving all across North America to chase his athletic dreams.
Over the years, Price was a valuable member of a number of different national teams, helping Canada win the 1993 International Softball Congress (ISC) World Championship in Kimberly, Wisconsin. Price also won three gold medals at the Pan American Games in 1995 and 1999, scoring the winning run for Team Canada at the 1995 edition of the games in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
Locally, Price was a star on the fields in Kingston and the surrounding area, winning consecutive Ontario Amateur Softball Association championships with the Verona Merchants in 1981, 1982, and 1983, before leading Perth Road to the Loughborough Fastball League championship in 1984. Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Price took his talents to a number of different Canadian communities, including St. John’s, Kemptville, and Toronto, winning many national medals along the way.
Since his playing career ended, Price has been a coach and mentor with the CanAm Fastpitch Academy since 1999.
Megan Suddergaard-Pfeiffer (Athlete – Volleyball)
Born and raised in Kingston, Megan Suddergaard-Pfeiffer was a star multi-sport athlete in high school, spending time at Regiopolis-Notre Dame and Loyalist Collegiate and Vocational Institute (LCVI), winning provincial medals in track and field, and taking home volleyball MVP honours at both schools.
Following her graduation from high school, Suddergaard-Pfeiffer attended Georgia Southern University, an NCAA Division 1 School, on a full volleyball scholarship. At Georgia Southern, Suddergaard-Pfeiffer was a valuable member of the Eagles volleyball team, leading the NCAA in blocking statistics. The Kingstonian served as the team’s captain from 1995 to 1997, “a testimony to her work ethic, her integrity, and her desire to set an example for those around her,” Billings remarked.
After college, Suddergaard-Pfeiffer returned to Kingston to serve as assistant coach for the LCVI volleyball team, before leaving in 2000 to take on the same position at McMaster University. Since 2018, Suddergaard-Pfeiffer has been an assistant coach for the Georgetown Impact Volleyball Club.
Induction ceremony to take place May 3
As confirmed by Billings during Tuesday’s Council meeting, the induction ceremony for the Sports Hall of Fame class of 2024 will take place on Friday, May 3, 2024. With the five new inductees for this year, the Hall of Fame will soon be home to a total of 194 athletes and builders.
The Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame is located in the concourse of the Leon’s Centre (1 The Tragically Hip Way).