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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:

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.