Inducted October 18, 1997
Bob Cole was born in St. John’s and educated at Bishop Feild College. He was an outstanding high school athlete who excelled in soccer, track and field, ice hockey and basketball. His hockey career included playing in the St. John’s Hockey League with the Feildians and in the NAHA with the St. John’s Capitals.
In baseball, Bob was an outstanding center-fielder and equally proficient batsman. He played with St. John’s in several NABA championships and was subsequently elected to the St. John’s Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bob Cole was also an outstanding curler and represented Newfoundland nationally at the Canadian Men’s Championships in 1971 and 1975 and the Canadian Mixed Championships in 1965 and 1973. In 1975 he was elected to the Newfoundland Curling Hall of Fame.
Bob’s athletic prowess was not just limited to the sports already mentioned. He was a rower and coxswain in the Royal St. John’s Regatta in the 1960’s.
In 1954, Bob began a career in radio and soon gained prominence as a sports broadcaster. From his early hockey broadcasts in Newfoundland, his career has grown to include some of the world’s prestigious hockey games. His coverage of the National Hockey League games and playoffs have made him a household word to national and international radio and television audiences.
In addition to his broadcasting work, Bob Cole has given much time to various charity work, including his time and effort in the Bob Cole Celebrity Golf Classic.
Bob was elected to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. He is truly a world-famous Newfoundlander and one who is very deserving of becoming a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame.
Your support for sport in Newfoundland and Labrador.