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Desclouds coached championship teams in baseball, track and field, cross-country, and basketball. He is best known for his coaching achievements in volleyball. After 35 years as a teacher at Glashan Public School, he coached the Spikers to an astounding 32 Elementary School Championships, and 10 Ontario Cups.

Halvorsen is being recognized for his career as a middle distance runner. Born in Norway, he was Norwegian National Champion at 5,000 and 10,000 metres before moving to Canada, and settling in Ottawa. He has competed in two Olympic Games, and is a four time winner of the Canadian Intra-University Cross- Country Championships, and countless other honours in middle distance running. His time of 28:12 in Ottawa 10k was a course record that endured for 20 years. He has been instrumental in helping to expand Ottawa Race Weekend into an International Athletics Associations Federation (IAAF) Gold Standard event.

The Ottawa Rough Riders teams of 1968 and 1969 were powerhouses in the CFL, as they won Grey Cups in consecutive years. Led by Hall of Fame quarterback Russ Jackson, 29 of 36 players were on BOTH teams. The 1969 team was named “Canada’s Team of the Year” by the Canadian Press. Jackson’s four touchdown passes in the 1969 game, remains a record to this day. Of the 29 players who played on both teams, eight are in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, in addition to legendary head coach, Frank Clair.

“The selection process is always extremely difficult and this year was no exception”, said Dave Best, chair of the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame. “Once again, we received a large number of very strong nominations from the community, a reminder of the broad range of sporting achievement and commitment to excellence that exists in the nation’s capital. This year’s class is exceptional, not just for their contribution to sport, but what they have done for our city.”

The Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame is located in the Heritage Building at Ottawa City Hall and honours more than 250 local athletes and coaches who have made a significant impact on the sports culture in the nation’s capital.

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