Dollard to consider renaming park after coach

BY MARC LALONDE



Dollard des Ormeaux mayor Ed Janiszewski said he is in favour of renaming a Dollard des Ormeaux football field after longtime beloved North Shore football coach Glenn McHugh, who died last spring.

A committee of McHugh’s ex-players, including his son Justin, who followed in his dad’s footsteps as head coach of the midget AAA North Shore Mustangs, are spearheading the drive to get the Dollard des Ormeaux 2 field — now the Mustangs’ home field — named in his memory.

The committee, which includes ex-Mustangs such as Delando Hawthorne and Jack Nudi, has circulated a petition, boasting more than 1,000 signatures in favour of the move.

McHugh, who was 55 when he died, dedicated his life to teaching kids that doing things the right way had value.

“He always taught that you get what you deserve in life. You get out of things what you put into them,� said Justin McHugh. McHugh senior believed very strongly that the character football instills in young men was as important as teaching the game itself.

“What you did was not as important as how you did it. If you gave an honest effort and were always respectful, that was what was important,� he said.

Janiszewski agreed, saying his history with McHugh – the two knew each other and were friends for 25 years, Janiszewski said, — showed him that Glenn McHugh was a man of character and a devoted husband, father and football coach.

“I can’t speak for council, but I can say I’ve been associated with Glenn for about 25 years and I’m certainly in favour of it. He was a wonderful volunteer, a great coach and a great person,� he said.

Not only a winner off the field, McHugh’s teams were always successful on the field as well. He compiled a career record of 142 wins and 27 losses as head coach of the North Shore Lions, North Shore Mustangs and North Shore Broncos and won nine provincial championships. McHugh was arguably the most successful coach in North Shore football history.

The idea of naming the field after McHugh was born after ex-players banded together to create the GFM Foundation, a non-profit organization, whose mandate is to give back to the community through sports events and by subsidizing sporting events in the West Island, making it easier for athletes to play sports by subsidizing travel, equipment and training costs.

“It didn’t take long, nor did we need much convincing . . . we all looked at one another and knew something had to be done to preserve his legacy,� Hawthorne said. The initial goal is to raise $25,000 through fundraising efforts.

The committee is set to present its case to Dollard des Ormeaux city administrators at the end of the month. For more information, visit www.gfmfoundation.ca.">www.gfmfoundation.ca.">www.gfmfoundation.ca.