Joseph C. Wadden – Athlete/Builder

Inducted March 28, 2009

Joseph Wadden enjoyed a remarkable career as an athlete, coach, and executive volunteer that spans more than 45 years. An extremely capable catcher, Wadden was much respected for the speed and accuracy of his throwing arm. As a St. John’s all-star, he was named provincial MVP in 1969 and was a member of the provincial junior championship teams in 1969 and 1970. At the senior baseball level, he was a member of provincial championship teams in 1976, 1978, 1979, and 1984. Wadden also had a deep understanding of basketball and possessed exceptional skills as a player. From 1966-1972, he played with Memorial University’s Varsity team, capturing two provincial junior titles in 1967 and 1969 and four provincial senior titles in 1966, 1970, 1971, and 1972. When Memorial won the 1966-1967 small college championships in Truro, NS, Wadden was voted to the tournament’s first all-star team. His success at Memorial earned him membership in the MUN Athletic Society and the American College Athlete Hall of Fame. In 1968, while playing with Holy Cross, they won the Eastern Canadian championship. For 30 years, Wadden devoted countless hours coaching baseball and basketball. He coached the St. John’s Capitals baseball team to a provincial title in 1972 and two provincial senior titles in 1989 and 1991. While coaching the provincial junior all-stars, the Terra Novas, from 1976-1981, the team captured two Atlantic baseball championships. In 2003, he received the Les Noseworthy Memorial Award for his outstanding contributions to baseball. His basketball coaching career began in 1972 at Stella Maris High School, when he coached the boys’ team to a provincial 4A championship, the first ever for a team outside St. John’s and Corner Brook. His work in coaching and leading high school teams earned Wadden the Coaching Service Award from the Newfoundland and Labrador School Sports Association. In 1975, the Canadian High School Federation presented him with a Recognition Award of Merit. Wadden coached the 1975 Canada Winter Games team and from 1974 to 1976, the Memorial University female varsity team. At the executive level, Wadden served as secretary and president of the Newfoundland Amateur Baseball Association and the first president of the Mount Pearl Sports Alliance. Joseph Wadden has been inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Baseball Hall of Fame, the Newfoundland and Labrador Basketball Hall of Fame, the Mount Pearl Sports’ Hall of Fame and now, will join his father, Joe, as he is inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame.