Hamilton, ON – The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association announced its 2023 Hall of Fame induction class on Thursday afternoon, and among the 11 inductees will be the great, late Mohawk Mountaineers women's basketball head coach Earl Begg.
During a 20-season career from 1978 to 1998 at the helm of Mountaineers women's basketball, Begg turned the program into a powerhouse. Mohawk posted a regular season record during Begg's tenure of 161-83 and the coaching legend holds the school record for most career overall victories with 316.
In the 1980-81 season, Begg would guide the Mountaineers to their first-ever OCAA Women's Basketball Championship. Begg and Mohawk would also claim provincial gold in 1982-83, 1985-86, 1986-87, 1989-90 and 1990-91.
All the programs six OCAA Championships have come under Begg, while the team also claimed provincial silver during his time in 1987-88 and 1994-95, and OCAA bronze in 1978-79, 1983-84, 1984-85, 1988-89 and 1991-92. Meaning the Mountaineers appeared on the pedestal 13 times in two decades.
At the national level, Begg's teams captured bronze medals at the 1986 and 1990 CCAA Championships, which were the first national medals won by an OCAA team in women's basketball at the time.
Begg was named both OCAA and CCAA Coach of the Year in women's basketball after the 1986-87 season, and would earn OCAA honours again in 1989-90 and 1990-91.
Additionally, Begg coached at the Ontario club level, where he had a 310-57 record, and won three Eastern Canadian Championships, 11 Ontario Championships and four Ontario Winter Games Championships. He also coached Team Ontario in 1967, 1976 and 1980.
In 2001, Begg was inducted into the Mountaineers Hall of Fame, and has also been inducted into the OCAA Hall of Fame (2003) and Ontario Basketball Hall of Fame (2006). In 2022, Begg was an inductee into the Dundas Sports Wall of Fame.
Other awards Begg has been honoured with include Province of Ontario Achievement Award (1969-71), Mohawk College Award of Merit (1985), Certificate of Recognition from the City of Hamilton (1987) and Certificate of Merit from the Government of Canada (1987).
In 2019, Begg passed away at the age of 86.
The CCAA Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will be honoured on June 13 in Niagara Falls, ON in conjunction with the CCAA's 49th Annual General Meeting.
