Dare To Be Great


Former Western University football coach Larry Haylor passed away last week at the age of 76. The loss of this icon leaves a deep hole in his loving family, his wife Judy, daughter Jennifer and sons Jordan and Matthew, and six grandchildren.

It also leaves an empty feeling in the Western community, that, in the space of less than a week, has lost Haylor and his predecessor Darwin Semotiuk, two Canadian coaching legends from one school taken suddenly. Olympia Sports Camp was also a part of the Haylor story, as well as a legion of players, coaches, students, and administrators affected by this mentor who pursued excellence at every level. 

During his time coaching the Mustangs, from 1984 to 2006, Haylor compiled a record of 185 wins, 50 losses, and three ties. He won eight Yates Cup championships, plus Vanier Cup titles in 1989 and 1994. He won OUA coach of the Year seven times and USports Coach of the Year twice.
Haylor also taught in the School of Kinesiology. After retiring from coaching in 2006, Haylor continued teaching for another five years. He also served as the analyst for Western football radio broadcasts and spent many hours volunteering for the Special Olympics.

A native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Haylor was the quarterback for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the late 1960s. After his playing career, Haylor became an assistant coach at Saskatchewan, then Dalhousie, before joining Western in 1974 as the Mustangs’ offensive coordinator under Semotiuk. Haylor succeeded Semotiuk as head coach in 1984. He had a strong and loving presence and demanded the best from himself and those he connected with, either in the classroom or on the football field. 

In the upcoming book A Hero’s Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp Western legendary quarterback and Olympia coach Jamie Bone spoke very highly of these two mentors, while making the connection to football at Olympia.

 

 

“Darwin was a legendary coach and prof but what I loved most about his leadership was that he trusted his players and his coaches to do their jobs. Darwin was on the defensive side of the ball, and he gave Larry a lot of autonomy on offence,” Jamie explains, “Larry was at Dalhousie in 1974 and I saw the offensive genius he brought to the game. Larry was a head coach in waiting in the Atlantic conference, but he left and took the offensive coordinator job at Western. When I met him on my trip to London, I knew I was going to Western.”


“Larry got asked to go up to Olympia in 1981. The staff also included Mike Eben, and Bob LaRose,” Jamie explains,” they decided to change the camp and make it a quarterback and receiver camp. By 1985 it was getting big, and Larry knew he needed more coaches and quality coaches, so he asked me.  It was an honour to work with these guys. I’m proud of the legacy of what we did at Olympia and the Western connection allowed the camp to flourish."

 

“When Larry and Bob decided that they wouldn’t go anymore we brought in great coaches like Greg Marshall, Nigel Wilson, Pat Sheehan and PJ Edgeworth,” Jamie says,” the transition was seamless and the continuity that Dave Grace loves was there.”

 

This week former Western star and now  Sportsnet TV analyst Donnovan Bennett wrote of his fallen coach:

“There was a sign that every Mustang player touches as he leaves the locker room that says, simply, “Dare to be great.” Coach Haylor cared about striving to be great and was willing to do what he thought was right in his pursuit. He’d rather his players dare to be great and fail than not endeavour to be great at all. Everyone he touched felt comfortable being uncomfortable enough to push for greatness in all aspects of life. He had the respect of his players because winning the right way was his priority. Playing for Larry Haylor took a certain breed, but you would come out the other end tougher and more durable — and, most importantly, well-loved. Because as critical as he was, he was also the first to congratulate.”

Haylor produced two Hec Crighton award winners, Olympia coaches Jamie Bone and Greg Marshall, and 42 first team all-Canadians, but, in the end, it’s about the impact he has had on so many students and student-athletes and a legion of coaches who have followed in his wake, allowing the game to grow across the country. 

That continuity that Dave Grace loved at Olympia? Same holds true at Western football. Semotiuk had Haylor to take over from him and then Haylor earmarked Greg Marshall to take the reins when he retired. That's three coaches over 47 years.

When Marshall talks about Larry Haylor, he recalls his coach demanding the best, but also the impact of the man who went from coach to friend, with life lessons along the way.

 

“Larry and Darwin built the foundation and it’s still evident today. Larry taught us the value of friendships and what can happen through sport. He looked after me, but how many hundreds of others, football players and students in his classes, did he impact? Larry cared deeply about the bottom line of every play in every game he ever coached, but he also helped transform several generations. Larry was so much more than a successful football coach. He was a caring, giving man that made a positive impact on the young people he coached or taught.”

 

Larry Haylor was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of fame in 2014. He had this to say when looking back on his career:

 

 “I think I was an insisting coach, but I always used to believe that I could see people being better than they thought they could be and that we had the tools to see that happen. I wasn’t very forgiving of excuses.”


Family was always big to Haylor. HIs daughter Jennifer played basketball at  Western while both sons,Jordan and Matthew, played football for the Mustangs. In retirement he loved spending time with his six grandchildren. May he rest in Peace and may his memory be a blessing.





Pay It Forward. 2022 will be a great year as the camp will return and flourish, but we need to be allies. Now is the time to get the word out to our circle of influence The camp website is  www.olympiasportscamp.com Check out the website. Register your kids. Get your kids to get a few friends to join them at camp. Send a note to your club teams, your school teams. Do it for the kid whose life will be changed because they got to go to Olympia Sports Camp in the summer of 2022. Help spread the vibe that after two years the best sports camp in Canada ( with the four reasons we hear at every opening) will be back and be better than ever.  

 

 

 

The link to the blog is TuesdayswithDave.blogspot.com

This blog is about the journey of the writing of the book A Hero's Journey: From Little Norway to Olympia Sports Camp. The blog will contain excerpts from the book and my personal thoughts on what the place and the people that make up Olympia's journey is all about. The title comes from the great book Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom. The blog's title is recognizing Dave Grace as Camp Director, but all content is my own.


 

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