EDMONTON – Legendary University of Calgary football coach and athletic director Dennis Kadatz has taken his rightful spot in the Canada West Hall of Fame.
Kadatz, who is regarded as the father of the athletic program at the University of Calgary, was announced as the conference's latest Hall of Fame inductee on Wednesday.
In 1964 Kadatz was hired as the university's first football coach and guided the team until 1968. In 1966 he became the school's first athletic director, a position he would hold for nearly two decades.
Kadatz oversaw the Dinos from their infancy through their progression into a perennial national contender in a host of sports, and went on to serve as President of Calgary's Olympic Development Association (CODA).
His legacy lives on annually as Calgary's Athlete of the Year awards are named in Kadatz's honour.
NAME: Dennis Kadatz
UNIVERSITY: Calgary
CATEGORY: Builder
YEARS ACTIVE: 1964-1985
HIGHLIGHTS:
- University of Calgary's first football coach
- University of Calgary's first athletic director
- President of the Calgary Olympic Development Association
BIOGRAPHY:
A visionary leader, pioneering coach and sports administrator, Dr. Dennis Kadatz is considered the father of the University of Calgary's athletic program.
In 1964 he was hired as the university's first football coach, guiding the team through its initial seasons until 1968. In 1966 he became the school's first athletic director, a position he would hold for nearly two decades.
Kadatz was responsible for the start of the athletic program and seeing the program grow from infancy to being competitive at the national level in a host of sports annually. He added the role of Associate Dean in the Faculty of Education in 1980 and led the facility design for the Jack Simpson Gym and the Olympic Oval.
Further, Kadatz served as president of Canada West and secretary/treasurer of the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU).
One of his crowning achievements was helping get the Alberta government to create the Jimmie Condon Athletic Scholarships, which continue to provide more than $3.5 million annually in financial support to student-athletes across the province.
