Inducted 2018

For close to fifty years Ben Dunne has been a prominent member of the sporting community in Newfoundland with success as an athlete and an influencer for track and field, soccer, hockey, softball and cross-country skiing. Throughout his life long commitment to sport, Ben was one to roll up his sleeves and dig into the seemingly unimportant tasks, which bring success to the participants and longevity to sport. Looking at his involvement in running, you can see his passion not only to perform but also to promote and see the sport flourish over his years of involvement. A long time runner, Dunne competed in multiple marathons, and road races winning many. He went on to officiate at multiple events such as the Canada summer games, and attending orienteering training camps for national track and field in Ontario and New Brunswick. He was also a member of the coaching staff for the World track and field championships in 1998, and was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Track and Field Association’s Hall of fame in 2012. This same passion was evident when Ben decided to get involved in soccer. Not only did he certify himself to coach at the Canada Games level, he also took on the task of promoting and building the game for young women. This commitment to growth and development of women’s soccer first began at the club level in Mt. Pearl, eventually leading to greater involvement at the regional and provincial levels. Dunne has coached multiple teams including the 2002 and 2005 teams at the National Jubilee trophy soccer championships as well as being the head coach for the 1993 Newfoundland and Labrador soccer team at the Canada summer games.  He helped women’s soccer grow with his year round involvement organizing a senior women’s league in the metro area and through all his efforts, programs for women have grown in leaps and bounds since the nineties. Many young girls became part of national team programs and earned university scholarships in large part to Dunne for starting and keeping programs running. Ben Dunne received a certificate of Recognition by the Canadian Federation of Provincial School Athletic Associations for dedicated service and was presented with a certificate of merit from the Government of Canada for his contribution to sport. He was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Hall of Fame in 2011 and has been an integral part of the sport scene in this province.