1977 - Our team was formed under the name Calgary Raiders as part of the Calgary Disabled Sports Club. At the time, the team was playing in the Montgomery league consisting of teams from Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Saskatoon. The team continued to play in this league until 1982.

1982 - The team joined the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. This league consisted of 180 teams in 30 conferences including Canada and the U.S.A. combined.

1983 - The name changed from the Calgary Raiders to the Calgary Grizzlies.

1985 - In this important year, the Grizzlies helped established a new league. This would become the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League (CWBL).

1986 - The first official year of the CWBL saw teams from across the country compete in Calgary hosted by the Grizzlies for the National Championship. Calgary proved to be the dominant force and win the first Championship. The same year saw the Grizzlies travel to one of the biggest international tournaments in the world; the 'Spitfire Challenge' held in Toronto, Ontario. Also this year the Grizzlies helped bring awareness to the abilities of the disabled by putting on demonstrations in small communities around southern Alberta during Rick Hanson's Tour.

1987 - This was the year that the team separated from the Calgary Disabled Sports Club to form The Calgary Grizzlies Wheelchair Basketball Society. This society is a registered charity and operates as a non-profit organization doing all of its own fundraising through Casino's, corporate sponsors and other means.

1992 - Our first trip to Pasadena, Texas to play in the 'Texas Shootout'.

1999 - The Grizzlies placed first in division 2 at the 20th Spitfire Challenge in Toronto.

2004 - The Grizzlies attended the CWBL finals in NB. This was a long overdue visit to this event. The team placed a respectable 5th.

Present - The Grizzlies continue to play in the CWBL, traveling mostly in Western Canada. Sometimes travel includes other parts of Canada. We do fundraisers and many demonstrations to bring awareness to the sport. The Grizzlies are continually developing new players of all ages and abilities with programs at the University of Calgary and Mount Royal College.

If you would like more information on getting involved with the Grizzlies either as a player, volunteer or sponsor, please E-mail .

Brief History of Wheelchair Basketball In Canada:

By the CWBA

An historical perspective on wheelchair basketball would not be complete without mention of the second World War (1939-1945). One end result of this global crisis was that society was confronted with an unusual number of people with physical disabilities. These people let the world know that they had needs that had to be met beyond food, clothing and shelter; they had an ego, they were worthwhile, and they belonged!

The philosophy of the day was adaptation of particular sports as viewed through the eyes of rehabilitation staff. Basketball was perceived to be one of the most adaptable team sports, and was played in various parts of the world in the early 1940's.

On the world scene, Sir Ludwig Guttmann was given the task of starting a spinal cord injuries centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. The British Government funded the operation in 1944 with the view of having the second front assist individuals to cope with their disability, regain dignity and independence that may have been lost, and become happy, healthy and respected members of the community. The Stoke Mandeville World Wheelchair Games in 1948 marked the beginning of organized wheelchair sports, and earned Sir Ludwig Guttmann the distinction of becoming recognized as the founder.

In June of 1947, the Deer Lodge Hospital in Manitoba organized an event on the front lawn of their facility. The basketball throw accompanied events like the ring toss, milk bottle pitching, archery, croquet and golf putting. Luci Delucca was one of the organizers of that event and noted that participants included George Dyck, Joe Smithson, and Tony Mann. The events had a rehabilitative flair and were very recreational.

There were a number of municipal or provincial groups involved in wheelchair basketball in Canada from the early 1940's through 1967. Bill Hepburn of the Montreal Wheelchair Wonders and Stan Stronge of the Vancouver Dueck Power Glides were among the most notable. The Montreal team represented Canada in the Stoke Games in 1953, marking our nations`start in world competition, and also represented Canada at the sixth National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in 1954 in New York, N.Y.

In 1963, Al Simpson of Winnipeg, Manitoba, recalled an event organized in Saskatoon which he claims may have been the first interprovincial wheelchair basketball competition. A team from Winnipeg and Edmonton met in Saskatoon to play in a weekend of wheelchair basketball.

Smithson, Knightingale, Coates, Bagnatto, Wendel, Fertile, Warrior and Marshall were familiar names of the time. Al became the managing director of the Pan American Games held in Winnipeg in August of 1967. He recalled that the operating budget for that event was $17,148.10 and that there were a total of 128 athletes from 5 nations. The national team was selected using ham radio, and direct results of the number of members and employees of that association participating in various activities. Organizational discussions took place during this event, and finally on September 09, 1967, the CWSA was born and Dr. Robert W. Jackson was elected the Chairman.

The national championships were held in conjunction with all other wheelchair sport championship events from 1968 through 1978. In 1979, wheelchair basketball was organized as an event separate from the rest of wheelchair sports, and the provincial teams competed for the Maxine K. Cooper memorial trophy. That award was retired in 1986, and the teams now compete for the Robert W. Jackson trophy. The following represents a record of the national championships, based on available documentation:

The Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League was founded in 1986. Club teams compete for the national title using FIBA/IWBF rules, 15 point classification system with able bodied athletes classified as 4.5 and quadriplegics as 0.5.

In 1990, the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League (CWBL) women's division combined their finals with the National Championships. They named their trophy in honor of the long time supporter Dr. Donald Royer.

National teams have been selected to represent Canada at numerous international meets over the years. The first team selected, went to the Paralympics in Israel in 1968. At the first Paralympic games organized away from Stoke Mandeville in Rome 1960 and Tokyo in 1964, our Canadian athletes competed on outdoor courts.

Today, we have over 2000 athletes competing in various city leagues, the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League (men, women, junior, and Mini), and the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (175 teams for men, women, junior, and collegiate players in North America).

Canada's mens team won a silver medal at the 1986 Gold Cup World Championships in Melbourne, Australia and struck gold in international competition in 1989 at the Stoke Mandeville World Games. In 1990, both mens and women teams finished with bronze medals at their respectful gold cups and both captured gold at the 1991 Stoke Mandeville World Wheelchair Games. The men finished fourth at the Paralympics in Barcelona, Spain in 1992 while the women captured the first gold medal for Canada at that event. They repeated their Gold Medal performance at the 1994 World Championships while the men settled for Bronze at their Gold Cup World Championship event hosted by Canada in Edmonton, Alberta. The women won Gold again at the Atlanta Paralympics while the men finished in fifth position. The Junior Men captured the first Gold Medal awarded for this age category in the 1997 World Championships in Toronto, Canada. In 1998 at the Gold Cup World Championships in Sydney, Australia the women retained their number one ranking while the men repeated their bronze medal performance. Since then the Men's won gold at the 2000 and 2004 Paralympic Games and a bronze medal at the 2002 Gold Cup. The Women's Team won gold in 2000 and 2002 and had to settle for bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games.

The formation of the CWBA in 1994 has brightened the future for wheelchair basketball development in Canada. The people involved in the early days have paved the way for modern day athletes. As a result of their work the opportunities available today are much greater. The Canada Games Council recognized the sport for the first time at the 1995 Games in Grand Prairie and Jasper, Alberta. Also in 1995, Sport Canada recognized CWBA athletes by providing carding status, which means approximately $250,000 that goes directly to athletes and their sport development annually.

As a result of an incredible commitment by our athletes, coaches, officials, and administrators, the general public is more aware of the positive contributions everyone is making on and off the wheelchair basketball court!