Dave Willis
Born:  Sarnia, Ontario

The Bud Morrison Award recognizes a person who over a number of years has made significant contributions to the youth.  Dave Willis is very much a deserving candidate to win this award. Dave’s involvement with youth in sports spans over 40 years as his volunteering began in the 1960’s when a young boy asked if he would coach his PeeWee House League baseball team.   Over the years he has coached, managed, acted as team trainer with House leagues,  Select and  All Star teams winning OBA AAA Championships in 1967 (Peewee and Tykes), 1968 (Peewee).  Dave coached baseball in Sarnia for six years before moving to Wyoming where he was involved with the OBA Peewee Champions in 1983 and 1984.  Dave also volunteered in hockey.  In 1960 he started coaching  SMAA Peewee house league hockey, that lead to managing Peewee travel that included names like Pat Crombeen, Danny Corrigan and Dino Ciccarelli. In the 70’s he coached in Petrolia.  In 1978-79 the Peewee travel team won the Regional and North American Silverstick Titles.  Also in the 70’s he coached SMAA football winning a league championship.  In the same era he scouted for the Western Michigan Broncos Hockey team and helped secure scholarships for some of our areas young athletes.  In the late 70’s and early 80’s Dave scouted for Bowling Green University.

He continued to coach and manage teams throughout the 80’s and 90’s and even managed a team for a coach that he had coached as a Peewee and won the OMHA “BB” Midget Title in 1993-94. Today Dave continues to be involved with teams that include Petrolia Jets, Lambton AAA and Wyoming.

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