TRURO - Cobequid Educational Centre is getting set to honour the founders of what has become one of the most decorated high school athletic programs in the province.
Archie Robertson, Reg Boudreau, Sandy Allen and Keith MacKenzie will be the first four school alumni elected into the Pye Chevrolet CEC Sports Wall of Fame Dec. 22 between the school's alumni basketball games.
Longtime teachers and coaches at the school Bob Piers and Scott Annand combined efforts to get the project off the ground.
"CEC is a very special school and it has a rich tradition of producing quality citizens," Annand said. "When you think of CEC you think of athletics and the success they had and we thought they should be recognized, especially the founders of that tradition."
The idea of the wall was to honour the school's alumni who have gone on to be successful in their sport after CEC.
"So many people at the school have gone on to do special things and may or may not have received the recognition they could or should," Piers said.
Robertson was the school's principal from its opening in 1970 until his retirement in 1994. During that time the school won a national Reach for the Top title, received several national band accolades and became known as a sports giant in the Maritimes. Robertson coached hockey and girls softball for several years and that influence filtered down to his staff, having up to 25 staff members involved in coaching school teams.
Robertson's support of athletics allowed athletic director Keith MacKenzie to build the department. MacKenzie was athletic director of the school for its first 15 years.
The school's numbers speak for themselves during his tenure. Cobequid won 49 provincial titles in 12 sports. MacKenzie coached the girls basketball team to 12 consecutive provincial finals and six titles, including four straight from 1979-1982.
He also led the football team to five provincial crowns and several more finals in 14 seasons.
Reg Boudreau is one of the most talented football players to attend CEC. In his final year at the school he rushed for 1,378 yards, led the league in scoring with 115 points and was named league MVP.
He led the Cougars to their first provincial title in 1974 before joining the Saskatoon Hilltops of the Western Junior Football League, where he picked up rookie of the year honours rushing for over 1,000 yards. In 1977 Boudreau scored 140 points for the Hilltops, a record which stood until this year. Boudreau played for both the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders and Hamilton Tiger Cats in 1979.
Sandy Allen, an industrial arts teacher at the school from 1964 to 1994, was a promoter of badminton and organized a club for junior and senior high students.
During the 1970s his players won 73 NSSAF and NSBA provincial titles and 20 team championships, including six straight team titles from 1974 to 1980.
Kenny Poole, a player who won several national titles and represented Canada at several international events, credited Allen's coaching for his success.
Allen's modesty showed through as it's rare to find him in a team photo, putting all the emphasis on his players.
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