Kellen Forrest played football for the Dinos from 2012-14 and has contributed to the Dinos Communications efforts for many years.

CALGARY – Earlier this week, I was asked to attend the 2022 Dinos Hall of Fame induction ceremony. For a brief moment, I thought maybe I had done enough to be inducted myself. However, the thought was quite fleeting as I quickly remembered you probably have actually to see the field to be inducted. 

No, the members of the 2022 class made a far larger impact on the University of Calgary athletics community than I ever did, and I was so honoured to be among their friends, family and other Dinos' alumni as these six incredible individuals got the recognition they whole-heartedly deserved.

Right when I arrived, I was reminded of what it meant to be a Dino. Everywhere I looked, old friends and teammates were reconnecting, and it didn't matter if they hadn't seen each other in years, as the bond they had developed during their time with the Dinos is something that lasts a lifetime. For myself, as well as for the members of the current men's hockey team who were in attendance, it was a reminder our actual time on the ice, track or field is just a small portion of what it means to truly be a Dino. 

And while we will all be able to say, "Once a Dino, always a Dino," most of us won't get our name called to be enshrined in the Dinos Hall of Fame for "eternity" as current men's hockey player Dakota Krebs and Master of Ceremonies for the evening described the honour. 

Established in 1995, the Hall of Fame is reserved for special athletes and coaches who altered the course of Dinos athletics for the better, and the 2022 class exemplifies just that. 

Justine Bouchard (BSc '10), Paul Geddes (BComm '87), Peter Guterson (BPE '86), Lisa Harvey (BPE '94, BEd '96), Rick Coleman (BFA '73, BEd '75) and Dr. George Kingston have more accolades between the six of them than I could even try and list here. If you would like a list of their accomplishments, you can take a look here. Just be prepared for a lengthy read!

The list of individual accomplishments is truly staggering, but what I noticed through all the speeches is that these feats were the last thing that most of the inductees wanted to talk about. Sure Geddes still owns the men's hockey single-season record for both points and goals, and yeah, it's impressive that Harvey won back-to-back individual track national titles, but when the six inductees got up on that stage to address the crowd, the last thing they wanted to talk about was themselves. 

They were much happier to talk about the relationships they built throughout their time as a Dino, as well as the people they had to thank to be standing where they were. Bouchard, the first female wrestler to enter the Dinos Hall of Fame, described the values, lessons and friendships she made as "endless," which was made particularly easier for her as she "literally shared blood, sweat and tears" with her teammates. 

However, even when the transfer of bodily fluids wasn't as high, the message remained the same. Wrestler Peter Guterson said the thing he will remember the most about his time with the University of Calgary was just the "comradery and being with the guys",  not the 1986 CIAU gold medal, his teammates and his coaches. 

Like Guterson, Bouchard and Harvey also competed in individual sports, but that didn't stop them from stressing the importance of the team around them. While the 1992 Olympian was the catalyst, Harvey mentioned multiple times how "everybody pulled everybody else up," leading to back-to-back national championships. 

For Coleman, the desire to "put the team first" was so strong, his contribution to the Dinos program was only just beginning when he hung up his cleats. Not only did he help coach the Scarlet & Gold to three Vanier Cup championships in the 80's, but he was a founding member of the Dinos 5th Quarter - one of the most successful alumni groups in the country. His work helped players like myself, and hundreds of other young men succeed in university sport, and it all started with a conversation with Coleman and a few of his closest teammates. The highly decorated Dinos football team would not be where it is today without the behind-the-scenes effort of individuals like Coleman. 

All six inductees have made a lasting impact on the Dinos program, but perhaps no more so than the last inductee of the night, Dr. Kingston. In fact, Kingston was an integral part of two of the other inductees' careers in such a positive fashion, he was mentioned multiple times throughout the night. Guterson explained that without the contributions of Kingston, he probably wouldn't have graduated, while Geddes knew that Kingston didn't just make him a better hockey player, but a "better person." 

When Kingston was on the mic himself, it was easy to see why he made the impact he did.  After hooking the crowd with a "WAHOO," you could feel the crowd hanging on every word. He described wanting to "change the culture of coaching for the better," and make the Dinos an "athletic program for all." And if the words of Guterson and Geddes were any indication, he did exactly that and much more - including winning 245 hockey games with the Dinos.  

It was an incredible night to be involved with and I felt so honoured to be in the presence of the six incredible inductees. Each one with their own career path culminating in their name being announced on that stage. 

As I walked out, I realized that while I will never have anything in common with the inductees in terms of stats, or long-term impact, I can relate to every single hall of fame member in at least one way: 

I will always be "Proud to be a Dino." 

-UC-