Belleville Sports Hall of Fame

03/20/2026

Anyone can nominate! Do you know someone worthy? The deadline is May 25 - watch our socials for more info.

03/13/2026

🏅 Help us celebrate Belleville’s sports heroes!

The Belleville Sports Hall of Fame relies on our community to help identify the athletes, coaches, builders, and volunteers who have shaped sport in our city.

Anyone can submit a nomination — friends, teammates, family members, coaches, and fans. Strong nominations often include stories, photos, newspaper articles, records of achievements, and letters of support. You can even make it a team effort by gathering information from people who knew the nominee in different ways.

🌟 Eligibility Highlights
• Athletes must generally have been retired from competition for 5 years. The Selection Committee may shorten this waiting period in exceptional cases.
• Athletes age 50 or older may be nominated even if still active.
• Builder candidates (coaches, organizers, volunteers) may be active or retired.
• Nominees must have lived in the Belleville area for at least 5 years.
• Selection Committee members are not eligible.
Every photo, article, memory, and letter helps tell the story of someone who made a lasting impact on sport in Belleville.

👉 Learn how to nominate: bellevillesportshalloffame.com/nomination

09/23/2025

Thank you!

09/18/2025

Congratulations, Hall of Famers!
(Left to right)
Derek Smith, Todd Crawford, Rick Fralick, Ken Smith, Joanne Moring.

09/18/2025

What a wonderful day celebrating our 2025 inductees!

08/26/2025

08/26/2025

08/03/2025

KEN SMITH
2025 Inductee
Builder, Basketball

It’s hard to overstate the impact Ken Smith has had on high school sport in the Bay of Quinte region. A coach, educator, mentor, and builder of community, Ken’s influence reaches far beyond the gym and continues to shape the lives of athletes and coaches today.

Ken began his athletic journey in Stirling, where he quarterbacked the 1966 Golden Hawks football team to an undefeated season and COSSA championship, alongside future Belleville Sports Hall of Fame inductees Rob Cooke and Barry Pyear. He went on to play varsity football at the University of Guelph before returning to the classroom and the court, teaching first at BCI and then at Moira Secondary School, where his name would become synonymous with basketball excellence.

Over nearly three decades at Moira, Ken coached teams to 25 Bay of Quinte and 10 COSSA basketball championships, across junior and senior, men’s and women’s divisions. His coaching went far beyond strategy and skill—he was known for his “ability to see not just the athlete, but the individual within the athlete.” Many of his students went on to compete at the post-secondary level and even more followed his example and became coaches themselves.

Ken organized coaching clinics to “interest, instruct and inspire,” served as president of the Belleville Spirits program, and in 2018, played an assistant role in guiding Nicholson Catholic College to BoQ, COSSA, and OFSAA championships. His leadership earned him the Pete Beach Award and the BQBOA Basketball Person of the Year.

When Ken Smith arrived at Moira in 1974, the school didn’t even have a gym. Upon his retirement in 2002, that gym was named the Ken Smith Gymnasium, a tribute that endures at Eastside Secondary School. With his induction, Ken now joins many of the very athletes and peers he coached, ins

pired and stood alongside in the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame.

08/02/2025

🎇🎇 CONGRATS COACH!!!🎇🎇

The Trenton Golden Hawks would like to send a HUGE CONGRATS!!! 👏👏👏 to our Coach & GM, DEREK SMITH as an inductee to the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame - class of 2025.
As per the induction notes "The Belleville Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Derek Smith, hometown defenceman, NHLer, champion, and respected coach whose roots and impact run deep in the Quinte hockey community"

Thank you, Derek, for all your contributions to the region, but most of all.... thank you & congratulations from your players, fans, colleagues and management of the Trenton Golden Hawks!!

ONCE A HAWK, ALWAYS A HAWK!

08/02/2025

DEREK SMITH
2025 Inductee
Athlete, Hockey

Derek Smith’s hockey journey is a testament to perseverance, leadership and a deep love for the game. Born and raised in Belleville, he hit the ice with the AAA Quinte Red Devils before suiting up for the Wellington Dukes. Over four seasons (2000–2004), Smith became a fan favourite, helping the Dukes capture the Buckland Cup in 2002–03 and leading the team as captain in his final year.

His steady presence on the blue line earned him a Division I scholarship to Lake Superior State University where he played from 2004 to 2007 and was named to the CCHA Second All-Star Team in his senior year. Undrafted but undeterred, Smith signed as a free agent with the Ottawa Senators in 2007 and spent the next four seasons with their AHL affiliate in Binghamton. He logged 332 games, racked up 142 points—ranking 7th all-time in franchise history—and helped guide the team to a Calder Cup championship in 2011.

Smith earned his NHL debut with Ottawa before joining the Calgary Flames in 2011, where he played 94 games. He scored his first NHL goal on November 29, 2011, against future Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne and was named third star of the game. His career later took him to Switzerland, the KHL, and back to the AHL before retiring in 2017 due to injury.

Returning home, he rejoined the Wellington Dukes as assistant coach, eventually taking over as head coach in 2019. In 2023, he was named head coach and GM of the Trenton Golden Hawks, continuing to shape young athletes with the same heart and determination that defined his own playing days.

The Belleville Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Derek Smith, hometown defenceman, NHLer, champion, and respected coach whose roots and impact run deep in the Quinte hockey community.

08/01/2025

08/01/2025

JOANNE MORING
2025 Inductee
Athlete, Weightlifting

A lifelong member of the Belleville community, Joanne Moring (née Sills) discovered her passion for strength sports as a teenager. She began weight training at 16 and, just a year later, became the first female member of the Apollo Barbell Club—one of the earliest women in Ontario to compete in Olympic weightlifting. Her talent and determination quickly propelled her to the top of the podium: in 1986, at the Ontario Intermediate Weightlifting Championships, she won first place in the women’s division and set both provincial and national records in the Clean & Jerk and total lift categories. That same year, she was honoured with the Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award.

From 1986 to 1989, Joanne competed at the junior level, collecting 6 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals. After retiring in 1994, she made an extraordinary return to the sport in 2009 at the age of 45, qualifying for the Pan Am/Canadian Masters Championships the following year.

Her second athletic chapter has been just as impressive. Joanne has earned multiple gold medals at the Ontario, Canadian and Pan Am Masters levels. Notable highlights include Canadian gold in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019 and 2024, and Pan Am gold in 2013. She holds Ontario records for the 50–54 and 55–59 age categories and continues to compete at the national level.

In addition to her success on the platform, Joanne is a certified Level 4 referee and has medalled in open competitions against lifters of all ages. A pioneer, champion and role model, Joanne Moring’s dedication to her sport and community makes her a truly outstanding addition to the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame.