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Don Cousins |
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Don Cousins has coached minor baseball, minor hockey, was a high school football coach for 26 years, a basketball coach for five and was the chairman of the Bedford Road Invitational High School Basketball tournament for 22 years. Don was born in Radville on July 24, 1939 and like a lot of rural Saskatchewan boys, hockey was the earliest of his sports challenges. Don went to the University of Denver where he attained a degree in engineering, and after returning to work in Regina for a year, enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan where he gained his Bachelor of Education degree. In his years in the football program at Bedford Road, 1968 through 1991, the Redmen emerged as provincial champions in 1968 with a 27-1 victory over Moose Jaw Peacock and they also won two other city and northern crowns. He was assistant coach of the Redmen when they won the provincial senior boys' basketball championship in 1972. He joined the executive committee of the Bedford Road Invitational Tournament in 1968, became its chairman in 1971 and remained as chairman right through the 1991 tournament, attracting many out-of-province teams to the scene. He and his sidekick, Walt Mudge, were leading organizers in making Bedford's tournament highly-recognizable, not only from a basketball standpoint, but in terms of cheerleading and art competitions, special halftime entertainment and special guests. One of the most imaginative strokes came during Bedford's 20th anniversary tournament in 1988 when Don invited a team called the New York Gauchos, who with their size and tremendous talent easily won the championship against prime Canadian rivals. They also played five exhibition games during their stay in Saskatoon. Don moved over to Walter Murray Collegiate but, in the 1992 tournament, he and Walt were honored as Bedford's special tournament guests. Don also coached minor hockey teams, ranging from peewee to bantam to midget, in the Eastview area and the Flyers, as midgets, were city champions in the 1991 season. He was one of three members of the Saskatoon Baseball Council to organize Kenko baseball in 1985 and was head coach of the first Kenko all-star team to attend an international tournament in Tokyo, Japan, in 1987. He returned to Tokyo again in 1988 with another all-star team from Saskatoon. He was co-head coach of the Saskatoon Phillies for three years, winning the city championship, a gold medal at the Saskatchewan Summer games and a silver medal at the Western Canada championships, all during the 1992 season. For his many roles, which included other sports like curling, badminton, two Canada Games committees and Saskatchewan Senior Games, Don was named the Kinsmen Sportsman of the Year in 1996. |
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