Babb inducted into MHSAA Hall of Fame

Mike Babb (third from left) at the MHSAA Hall of Fame ceremony with three of his former student athletes-turned-coaches: Kelsey McKay (Churchill alumnus now coaching at Vincent Massey), Tai Puhawan (Sisler alumnus now coaching at Isaac Newton) and Morgan Wood (Elmwood alumnus who has co-coached at the school with Mr. Babb).

Elmwood High School Principal Mike Babb has been named one of the five 2019 inductees into the Manitoba High School Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame.

Mr. Babb—who has coached 115 teams during his career as both a teacher and administrator in Winnipeg School Division—was inducted into the Hall of Fame during a special ceremony on May 11 at the Holiday Inn South. The principal was one of three inducted in the Builder Category.

“I’m really honoured and humbled,” Mr. Babb said. “I’ve gained so much from all of the young people I’ve worked with over the years. It’s a real honour to have that recognized.”

Over the course of his career, Mr. Babb has coached in sports such as basketball, soccer, rugby, track and field (specifically javelin, discus and shot-put), volleyball, football, cross-country running and handball. He has had the opportunity to coach at the school, university and community level over the course of his career.

Mr. Babb is a firm believer in the transformative power of sports for youth of all ages.

“I really do believe in the higher values of sport—there’s a lot that kids can learn,” he said. 

“The team dynamic of sports is important. It helps young people understand all of the soft skills that employers want to see. It’s good for students to make commitments and be challenged. Sometimes you step up and it goes well, other times you may be disappointed in the end results but there are life lessons there as well.”

Mr. Babb coaching basketball at Andrew Mynarski V.C. circa 2008.

Because of the important life skills students can learn in both sports and the arts, Mr. Babb has worked to support both programs during his time at Elmwood.

“When you look at both sports and the arts, and the number of students they can handle, we make sure those two programs are really strong here. I’m proud of both of them. In sports alone, we’ve had up to 91 different coaching positions here, and 90 per cent of them are staff members. So that’s a huge impact on a school. That connection with the kids carries into the classroom.”

Mr. Babb’s first foray behind the bench occurred while he was a 15-year-old student/athlete at Grant Park High School. He lent a hand with coaching basketball at his former school, J.B. Mitchell. It was a move that was made out of respect for the J.B. Mitchell coaches that had impacted his life at an early age.

“I had four really good school coaches, starting in junior high with John Kemp in cross-country and volleyball and Al Lomas in basketball, and then Gerry Boehm at Grant Park in basketball and Monty Schwabe in football at Grant Park,” Mr. Babb said. “Those were mentor coaches that I had who were also great people. The time they spent with me, I was able to give it back to other young people down the road.”

While he was attending the University of Manitoba, Mr. Babb continued to volunteer his time as an assistant coach with Grant Park’s junior varsity boys’ basketball team. It was here that he coached in the first of several appearances at the Winnipeg High School Basketball All-Star Game. He would later repeat the feat as a coach with Churchill High School’s varsity boys’ team, Sisler High School’s varsity girls’ team and Elmwood High School’s junior varsity girls’ team.

In rugby, Mr. Babb has coached junior and senior provincial teams, as well as at the 1985 Canada Summer Games.

Mike Babb coaching circa 1988 (supplied photo).

During his time as a Phys. Ed. Teacher at Churchill (1984-1993) and Sisler (1993-2000), as well as an administrator at Andrew Mynarski V.C. and two runs at Elmwood (the latter continuing to this day), Mr. Babb has coached well over a thousand young players. Given the busy life of your average teacher and administrator, it has meant a considerable time commitment over the years.

“I have a very understanding wife, we’ve been together for 38 years,” Mr. Babb said. “Cathy made it work. I was away a lot over the years and she allowed that to happen by being very supportive. She was an athlete at Grant Park and was on their Wall of Fame multiple times, my son David and daughter Kelly were also on numerous teams and are up on that wall as well…they like to tease me because I’m the only one who is not up there! I would like to thank my kids’ coaches for the impact they had on their lives as they still love to be active.”

Kelly has a similar passion for sports, working on the FIFA organizing committee for some of the international women’s soccer games held in Winnipeg, as well as working with the Canada Summer Games and the Commonwealth Games in Australia.

“Kelly was a very strong soccer player, unfortunately she blew her ACL while playing for the provincial team in Minneapolis,” Mr. Babb said. “She moved over to the administrative side and she currently has her dream job as a games specialist with Sport Manitoba.”

Mr. Babb brought three special guests to the Hall of Fame ceremony: Kelsey McKay, Tai Puhawan and Morgan Wood.

“These three former athletes represented teams from Churchill, Sisler and Elmwood, respectively and all of the young people I have had the honour to coach. All three are currently coaching,” Mr. Babb said.

The three former students are among many that have kept in touch with Mr. Babb over the years; some will call, others will say hello when he is out at a sporting event. Those lasting connections are what make the job all the more worthwhile.

“It’s amazing to be able to have an impact on a young person at some point in their lives.”