Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame

The idea behind a Hall of Fame is to honour people, usually by displaying their name and portrait for public viewing. The goal of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame is to recognize and honour those people who have made their mark in Manitoba's rich sports history through their activities and achievements.

Our mission statement.

To preserve, celebrate and showcase the history and heritage of sport excellence and achievement in Manitoba.

A brief history.

The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a registered charitable organization managed by a volunteer board of directors. Established on February 24, 1980 by the Manitoba Sports Federation as a means to preserve Manitoba's sports heritage, the organization operated without a permanent home until a lease for use of space in the historic Johnston Terminal building at The Forks was signed in January 1990.

The museum opened in the spring of 1993, occupying 2,855 square feet of exhibits that honoured close to two hundred athletes, builders and teams inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Museum also served as a home to the Manitoba Curling, Basketball, and Ten Pin Bowling Halls of Fame. Admission to the Museum was free, with approximately 70,000 visitors passing through the exhibit each year.

Following five moderately successful years at The Forks, The Hall of Fame and Museum found itself at a financial crossroads. There were a number of critical issues that needed to be examined and addressed if they were to continue to effectively meet their goals and targets. In the fall of 1998, an important decision was made to relocate the Sports Hall of Fame and Museum to The Bay downtown store location. This and other changes in the organization prompted the association to develop a strategic plan as a means to examine issues and develop realistic strategies necessary to ensure their long term future.

How are Honoured Members chosen?

The people of Manitoba are the only ones with the power to choose Honoured Members. The people inducted into the Hall of Fame are not the friends and family of Hall employees. Rather, they are individuals whose names have been submitted by nomination to an independent Selection Committee. Anyone except Hall of Fame staff and board members can submit a nomination for induction. The selection committee considers nominations from the current year as well as unsuccessful nominations from three years prior, to honour seven to ten new individuals as well as a team inductee each year.

Who is eligible for nomination?

Individuals or builders (e.g. official, coach, administrator) must be Manitoba-born - or must be residing in Manitoba at the time of their contribution to Manitoba sports. Manitoban teams who have won national or international championship events are also eligible for nomination.

Click here to download a Nomination Form

How does the Museum fit in?

The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum was established to preserve the rich history of sports in Manitoba, something that cannot be done with only our Honoured Members' portraits on the wall. A museum is dedicated to two things. The photographs and artifacts on display in the museum tell a historical story about sport in Manitoba. Our various exhibits touch on many different stories from many different sports, including curling, hockey and football, among others. The artifacts help to show how sport has changed in Manitoba over the decades.

Where do the artifacts come from?

The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum relies on the people of the province to donate photographs, memorabilia, equipment and clothing. While a museum preserves new things as well as old, there is more of a need for less-modern sporting items which are becoming increasingly harder to find. Once artifacts are donated to the museum, it is important to determine where they are from, what they were used for, who they belonged to and when they were used. Then, they are properly stored until an exhibit is designed to help the artifacts tell their story.

What will I find at the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum?

The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is divided into three galleries: the Honoured Members Gallery at the front, the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame at the rear, and the exhibit space in the main gallery.

We also house a large archive of print materials, photo and videos available to the public for research on the history of sport in Manitoba and all related aspects.