Background Information

• About the Sports Wall of Fame
• Committee Members
• Criteria
• Committee Constitution
• How to Nominate an Athlete
• About the Virtual Sports Wall of Fame Project

The Sports Wall of Fame was established in 1990 by the City of Niagara Falls.  Its objective is to honour and perpetuate the names and deeds of those individuals whose athletic abilities have brought fame to themselves and their community, and of those individuals whose interest in and work for sport has resulted in a climate which benefited athletes and athletics. There are three categories: Athlete, Team and Builder.

The Sports Wall of Fame Sponsor Award is presented to a corporation or group in recognition of a minimum of five years significant contribution to sports in the City of Niagara Falls.

Inductees are recognized by a plaque which contains a picture of the individual, along with a condensed biography. This plaque is placed in a special cabinet "Place of Honour", and then it is displayed in the designated area chosen as "Sports Wall of Fame" at the Niagara Falls Memorial Arena. A plaque and certificate are also presented to the individual or a family member.

• Athletes to be considered for admission to the Sports Wall of Fame must have been outstanding in their athletic field of endeavour or must have achieved better than average proficiency in a number of sports, even if not reaching the absolute top level in any one, in competition against peer athletes. This involves those competing on a strictly local level and those going on to district, provincial, national and international events, as well as those who enter professional sports.
  
  Any athlete nominated to the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame must have been retired from active field participation in the sport(s) for which he/she is nominated for a period of not less than three years (dating from the end of the season of the sport(s) for which he/she has been nominated). An athlete may be nominated even though he/she has not been retired for the mandatory three years if he/she has reached the age of fifty years. The above restrictions, of course, do not apply in the case of any automatic nominees as determined by the constitution.
   
• Builders are defined as officials (referees, umpires), individual sponsors, executives, trainers, coaches, etc...., whose work for sport over an extended period of time has been outstanding, whether it be in the organization of leagues and facilities, achieving a high degree of success in coaching teams and/or individuals, keeping a league or team active, providing services of a consistently high level over an extended period of time, etc... However, just because an individual has worked many years for a sport as a builder, does not necessarily mean inclusion into the Sports Wall of Fame. His/her work over that period of time, or over most of it, must have been of a consistently high level with regard to services provided or results achieved.
   
• “Teams" shall be eligible for recognition by the Committee under the following criteria. Each team nominated for recognition shall be judged on merit by the Era Committee. Recommendation shall be made by various Era Committees as per each nomination.2002 A"team" for Wall purposes is defined as "any group of two or more athletes engaged in the same sport who work together as a unit in that sport". The team may be made up of members of the same sex or the sexes may be intermixed, providing the majority of the team have reached the age of 14 years, at the time of their accomplishment. A figure skating pair, tennis doubles, curling team, cross country running team, etc. are defined as teams for our purposes. A boxer and his manager do not constitute a team.
   
• The Sponsor Award is presented to a business, corporation or group in recognition of a minimum of five years significant contribution to sports in the City of Niagara Falls. Nominees are judged on merit by each era committee with no automatic induction.

Click here to view the complete Constitution. This link will open in a new window. (PDF, May 2011; 67 KB)

Nomination Form
The nomination form contains complete instructions including where to submit the form and supporting documentation.

Sponsor Nomination Form
The nomination form contains complete instructions including where to submit the form and supporting documentation.

A unique web site to permit the browsing and searching of the images from the Wall of Fame was developed by the library, with input from Parks, Recreation and Culture staff. The data is also integrated in the library's Historic Niagara Digital Collections website.

The Virtual Sports Wall of Fame is a joint project of the
City of Niagara Falls - Parks, Recreation and Culture and the Niagara Falls Public Library
Terms of Use