Volleyball Nova Scotia's Hall of Fame celebrates the outstanding achievements of athletes, coaches, referees, teams, and builders from across the province. These individuals represent the very best of our sport, not only by virtue of their athletic achievement but also through their dedication and commitment.
Help us recognize those who have made a tremendous contribution or have participated at the highest levels of volleyball by submitting a nomination. Nominations will be accepted at any time before July 15th. Nominations will be retained by the selection committee and considered for a period of five years. Additional information in support of the nomination will be accepted by the committee during the five year period.
CLICK HERE to nominate someone for Volleyball Nova Scotia's Hall of Fame.
A Hall of Fame ceremony will be held annually and announced through social media and the VNS website.
​Hall of Fame inductees include:
Howard (Howie) Jackson - Class of 2022
Over the course of his 40 year volleyball career, Howard (Howie) Jackson made a tremendous contribution to the volleyball community as a referee and coach.
Howard was first introduced to the sport while coaching school volleyball and immediately fell in love with the game. Over time he developed a reputation as a wise, inspirational, and fun leader, and would go on to coach at Canada Games, at Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU), and at Dalhousie University where he was assistant coach of the 1984 silver medal Tigers. Over his coaching career, Howard would lead MSVU to 8 ACAA Championships earning 3 ACAA Coach of the Year Awards in the process.
In 1970, Howard become a referee, and 13 busy years later received his international level referee certification, which at the time, made him one of only 12 Canadians to hold that accreditation. As a world class referee, Howard was invited to several major international competitions, including the World University Games, the Pacific Rim Games, and the Pan American Games.
On top of his on-court referee duties, Howard would play an instrumental role in the development of referees by becoming a Referee Supervisor and Evaluator helping to guide and mentor future generations of volleyball officials in Nova Scotia. Howard also coached Provincial Team athletes and gave his time generously to player development camps across the province. Howard Jackson always encouraged male and female athletes in their pursuit of the sport of volleyball.
Howard passed away on November 10th, 2011.
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1981-82 Dalhousie Tigers Women’s Volleyball Team - Class of 2022
By winning the CIAU Championship, the 1981-82 Dalhousie Tigers Women’s Volleyball Team became, and remain, the only Atlantic University volleyball team - women or men - to win a National Championship. Most of the team, including the team’s co-captains, Karin Maessen and Karen Fraser, were from Nova Scotia, making this incredible achievement even more noteworthy.
That season the Tigers played a challenging regular league season and six out of province tournaments posting a record of 37 and 15. The experience gained in all those matches proved invaluable and helped the team raise their level of play to peak at the National CIAU Championships hosted by Dalhousie University.
The Tigers went into the 1982 CIAU Championship tournament as the fifth seed in the six team event. Despite their ranking, the team opened on their first day with 3-0 match wins over York (#2 Seed) and Laval (#1 Seed). On the second day of the tournament, the Tigers lost their third game 1-3 to Calgary (#3 Seed). The team would then bounce back to take the last two round-robin matches in straight sets with victories over Memorial (#6 Seed) and Winnipeg (#4 Seed). With a match record of 4-1, the team was in the gold medal match.
The Tigers faced Calgary in the final, the only team to beat them in the total round-robin. More than twelve hundred fans would pack the Dalplex to cheer on the home team. The Tigers started the match by easily winning the first two sets but Calgary would fight back to take the next two. In the final set, the Tigers jumped out to an early 13-5 lead before Calgary closed the gap to 13-11. With the gold medal on the line, the Tigers refused to let Calgary earn another point and won the fifth and deciding set 15-11 to take the championship.
The Tigers starting line-up included setter Karin Maessen (CIAU Player of the Year, Championship All-Star and MVP), middle blocker Karen Fraser (CIAU All-Canadian, Championship All-Star), middle blocker Brenda Turne, rightside Kathy Andrea, and leftside power hitters Veronika Schmidt and Bev Audet. Beth Yeomans, Janet Rhymes, Lorraine Cunningham, Kathy Cox, Diana Dowthwaite and Lyann Fougere rounded out the deep Tigers’ squad.
Head coach Lois MacGregor noted the teams’ cohesiveness and dedication to each other as important elements in their success. “They all worked together. They cared for each other as a group. It was a really a very close family.”
Coaches
Lois MacGregor (coach) - Hometown - Halifax
Cindy Moore (assistant coach) - Hometown -Halifax
Pat Elliot (manager) - Hometown - Halifax
Sher Bagnell - Hometown - Halifax
Julie Brown - Hometown - Halifax
Players
Karin Maessen Hometown - Halifax
Karen Fraser Hometown - Halifax
Brenda Turner - Hometown - New Germany
Kathy Andrea - Hometown - Dartmouth
Veronika Schmidt - Hometown - Dartmouth
Bev Audet - Hometown - Miramichi
Beth Yeomans - Hometown - Dartmouth
Janet Rhymes - Hometown - Sydney
Lorraine Cunningham - Hometown - Halifax
Kathy Cox - Hometown - Windsor Junction
Diana Dowthwaite - Hometown - Dartmouth
Lyann Fougere - Hometown - Halifax
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Karin Maessen - Class of 2022
Halifax native, Karin Maessen began her sporting career at Queen Elizabeth High School where she excelled in a number of different sports. Karin would ultimately focus on volleyball and go on to achieve tremendous individual and team success. She would quickly become a very strong player and in her last year at Queen Elizabeth High School, her contribution to the volleyball team were so impressive that she was recognized as not only as the Team MVP, but also as the Female Athlete of the Year for the entire school. Karin would also play for the Provincial Team and represented Nova Scotia on the 1975 Canada Games Team, in Lethbridge.
In her first year in University, Karin led the Dalhousie Tigers women’s volleyball team to an AUAA championship and was named team MVP. That year she won the Class of 55 Trophy as the University’s outstanding female athlete; the only first year athlete to ever earn this accomplishment. Karin would go on to win that award two more times in 1981 and 1982.
For her incredible performances within Atlantic Canada, Karin garnered AUAA women’s volleyball All-Star awards in 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1984; AUAA league MVP in 1981 and 1982; and AUAA tournament MVP in 1980 and 1982. For her outstanding play at National Championships, she would be recognized as a CIAU First Team All-Canadian in 1980, 1981 and 1982 as well as winning the CIAU Outstanding Player of the Year award in 1982.
At the 1982 CIAU National Championships, Karin would lead the Dalhousie Tigers to a gold medal. To this date, no other Atlantic university volleyball team has been able to replicate this incredible achievement. On top of winning a gold medal in 1982, Karin was able to help her team earn a silver medal at the 1984 CIAU National Championships.
Karin would go on to have a tremendous career on the international stage where she would feature on Canada’s Senior Women’s National Team for nine years. Her illustrious international career would see her compete in three World Championships; two Pan American Games, two World University Games, and many tours in Central America, South America, North America, Europe, and Asia. She would also go on the play for Nimes in the professional league in France.
Karin’s knowledge and passion would allow her to make significant contributions to the sport as a coach where she would lead the women’s volleyball programs at Saint Mary’s University, Dalhousie University, the University of Victoria, and the Nova Scotia Canada Games Team.
Karin Maessen was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 1994. That year women’s volleyball Head Coach, Lois MacGregor had this to say of her former player, “She was a coach’s dream athlete as she gave 150% every time she stepped on the court – in practices and in games- a delight to coach, and a wonderful, caring compassionate person to know.”
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Lois MacGregor - Class of 2021
Lois MacGregor’s induction into the Volleyball Nova Scotia Hall of Fame is but one of many achievements in her career.
The honours and awards Lois has earned include being inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 1998 as a Builder and in 2001 as Coach of her 1981-82 CIAU(CIS) Championship Gold Medal Team, as well winning the Dalhousie University’s Hall of Fame Inaugural Membership in 2005. Lois was also the recipient of the A.J. “Sandy” Young Memorial Award in 2003, an award that honours individuals who have contributed significantly to sport in Nova Scotia.
Lois began her coaching career at the University of Illinois in 1970-71 and then with Dalhousie Tigers in 1975 -1986 after a four-year playing career at Dal (1966-70). She would coach the Tigers for ten years, winning five AUAA Championships, a CIAU gold (1982) and a CIAU(CIS) silver medal (1984) and AUAA Coach of the Year honours four times, as well as Dalhousie Coach of the year several times. The highlight of her coaching career was in 1982 when she led Dalhousie to a gold medal at the CIAU(CIS) National Championships at home in Dalhousie University. This was a feat no other team- women or men- from Atlantic Canada has ever accomplished, to this date. Lois has continued to coach, leading numerous junior and senior high school teams as well as club teams. Lois was the Coach of Nova Scotia White and Red Teams who won two international tourneys in England in the mid-seventies. She also was the Assistant Coach of the World University Games Team for Canada in 1983, FISU Games, Edmonton, Alberta. She can currently be found coaching the girl’s varsity volleyball team at Citadel High School.
Lois is a fully certified Level IV coach who was the first female coach certified at that level in Nova Scotia. Her contributions to the coaching community in Nova Scotia span many decades and have been invaluable. She has volunteered on numerous VNS and Volleyball Canada committees over the years including holding the position of VNS President, VNS Secretary, VNS Coaching Committee Chairperson for many years, as well as serving on the CVA (Canadian Volleyball Association) coaching development committee and CVA Technical Competitions Committee. Lois has also led the Volleyball Venture Annual Camp as Camp Director and Elite Girls Coach for many years, as well as participating and organizing countless volleyball camps, clinics, and leagues. She continues her work as the Founder and Co-President of the Halifax Senior Women’s Volleyball League, a league that has been running under her leadership since 1975, with 18 “tiered” teams and over200 female athletes participating aged 19- and beyond!!!!. She still coaches her Antiques, a team that she played on since 1975.
Lois has been a champion for female athletes, sitting on Sport Nova Scotia’s Women in Sport Committee, as well as many other Sports Committees promoting female athletes. She has also been credited with helping to convince Dalhousie University to drop the name “Tigerettes” to “Tigers” for female athletic teams at Dalhousie University because she believed language was important. She also lobbied to alternate the order by which the university’s men’s and women’s matches, as well as high school matches, were scheduled instead of always having the women play first and the men(boys) play the feature match, day, or time. Lois helped found the Dal Volleyball University Classic with Al Scott - a feature top-level University tournament in January. She also help found the Dal High School and Junior High School Invitational originally started by Coach Lorne Sawula, the coach ahead of Lois at Dalhousie University. This tournament evolved into one of Canada’s major high school and junior high tournaments with 80+ teams participating with Lois and Al Scott as co-organizers.
For her entire life, Lois has endeavored to help mold girls and women who would go on to become outstanding members of the community. Lois states, “I always tried to help my athletes be the best they could be individually and as a team while still having fun. I hoped my athletes would feel good about themselves from their participation on my teams and that they would continue to enjoy their sport and perhaps get involved in coaching other young people like themselves.”
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Karen Fraser-Moore - Class of 2021
As a child growing up in Halifax, Karen Fraser-Moore was an incredibly talented multisport athlete playing basketball, badminton, field hockey, tennis, and hockey before focusing on volleyball.
Karen knew how to win early on in her volleyball career leading her Halifax West High School team to two straight Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation Championship titles. She continued to excel and grew into an important player on Team Nova Scotia competing in numerous Provincial Team tournaments and leading Nova Scotia’s Team to a seventh-place finish at the Canada Games in Brandon, Manitoba in 1979.
She first joined the National Team as a member of the 1978-79 Junior Team where she quickly progressed to the Senior National Team and would travel the world representing Canada at the Pan Am Games, World Student Games, NORCECA Championships, World Championships, as well as multiple World Cup events.
Karen’s National Team training also took her to Ottawa where the team would train full time with the goal of earning birth to the 1984 Olympics. The squad narrowly missed out on their goal of making the Olympics through the qualification tournament but were later awarded an Olympic berth when Cuba boycotted the event. Team Canada had a strong showing that summer in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, finishing in eighth place.
Karen began her illustrious university career with the Dalhousie Tigers in 1979 where she earned numerous individual and team awards, including:
- AUAA Rookie of the Year (1979)
- AUAA All-Star (five times)
- AUAA League Most Valuable Player (1985)
- CIAU Championship All-Star (three times)
- CIAU Second Team All-Canadian (two times)
- CIAU First Team All-Canadian (1986)
- AUAA Champions (four times)
- CIAU Champions (1982)
- CIAU Silver Medalists (1984)
- Dalhousie Female Athlete of the Year Award 1986
She later transitioned from volleyball player to full-time coach, assuming the reins of the Dalhousie team for the 1984-85 season and again from 1986 and 1991, leading the Tigers to three conference championship titles. She then moved on to working in the athletic department for more than 30 years in various roles, retiring as the Director of Varsity Athletics in 2014.
Karen is a member of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame, inducted in 1996 as well as a member of Dalhousie University’s Hall of Fame being inducted in 2018.
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Brad Barton - Class of 2019
Brad Barton joins the Volleyball Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame after a 50-year career as a volleyball official and administrator, helping build the sport regionally, nationally, and internationally.
Barton began teaching after high school, starting in an elementary classroom in North Preston even before he finished his provincial certification. From that point, he went to the Nova Scotia Teachers College, where he joined the first physical education class in 1964. A stipulation of that program was to become qualified as an official in three sports and one of those sports for Barton was volleyball.
When he came out of school in 1966, he began working as a physical education teacher at a junior high in Bedford and started to referee volleyball regularly. His volleyball officiating went from local to provincial, then regional. Next came national and in 1975 when he became an international referee in advance of the Montreal Olympics.
The Order of Canada recipient participated in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal as a referee but was denied a chance four years later with the international boycott of the Moscow Games. His second chance came in 1984 in Los Angeles when he again refereed at the Olympic Games.
He chaired the national officials committee for eight years starting in 1978 and began training officials for international events. That led to him being the assignor, and preparing all the evaluations, for referees at the FISU World University Games in Edmonton in 1983.
He went on to work the test event for the Seoul Olympics in 1985. With Canada not involved, he got to work in matches with many of the world powers, including the United States and the Soviet Union. He also worked at another World University Games in Buffalo in 1993.
He is still plenty active, evaluating and assigning officials at the university and college level. He referees, too, at the high school and college level.
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Al Scott - Class of 2019
Al Scott came to Nova Scotia in 1979 after taking on the job as head coach of the men’s volleyball team at Dalhousie University.
Scott was an incredibly accomplished coach, winning 19 of a possible 20 Atlantic University Sport (AUS) Championships. On the national stage, Scott’s teams won three Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Bronze medals as well as one Silver medal. Scott was named AUS Coach of the Year eight times, Dalhousie Coach of the year five times and CIS Coach of the Year in 1988. On top of his individual accomplishments and his team’s tremendous results, many of Scott’s former players went on to represent Canada on National Teams.
After leaving Dalhousie, Scott began to make an impact on youth volleyball by starting the Bedford Blizzard Volleyball Club on his own in 2006. Over the past 15 years, the Blizzard has grown from one team to over a dozen teams and is now the second-largest club in Nova Scotia. For his outstanding contributions to his local community, Scott received the Bedford Community Service Award in 2013.
In 2009 Scott took the position as Executive Director for Volleyball Nova Scotia where for the next 3 years he would be instrumental in furthering the development of volleyball in Nova Scotia. During his tenure with VNS, Scott played a lead role in the building of the 12 court Beach Volleyball Park in Burnside. This facility is a tremendous legacy for the sport and now plays host to thousands of beach volleyball players every year. On top of this, Scott is well known for transforming Volleyball Nova Scotia into a professional and organized association.
Scott was recognized for his tireless work by winning the Volunteer of the Year for volleyball at the 2014 Ricoh Sports Awards. It is without question that Al Scott has had an incredible impact on the sporting community as a coach, mentor, and volunteer in Nova Scotia.
Scott continues to make an impact on volleyball in Nova Scotia as the Club Director for the Bedford Blizzard and can be seen in gyms across the Province.
