Tillsonburg has lost a local icon with the passing of Dennis Fairall last Friday.
Fairall made a name for himself as a cross-country and track coach at the University of Windsor, starting his journey in his hometown of Tillsonburg.
“He hosted international track meets here for two or three consecutive years,” said Brian O’Rourke. “He had Olympic gold medal competitors here, and it was an ‘event of the summer.’”
O’Rourke reminisced about billeting American athlete Danny Harris, who took home silver in the 400-metre hurdles at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He also remembered Roger Kingdom, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and world-record holder in 110-metre high hurdles, competing in Tillsonburg as well.
A young Ben Johnson – just before his 1988 gold medal – also participated.
Throughout his career – mostly spent at the University of Windsor – Fairall coached over 1,800 athletes and secured 25 Canadian university championships along with 46 Ontario university athletics titles.
He was honored as Tillsonburg’s Citizen of the Year in 1983.
In 2016, Fairall became one of only seven people to receive Tillsonburg’s prestigious Favourite Son or Daughter Award in the town’s history.
O’Rourke recalled a remark from Colin Campbell during Fairall’s Favourite Son Award ceremony.
“(Campbell) said, ‘Dennis is the only coach I know who doesn’t yell at his athletes.’ He said every coach he had ever come across, it didn’t matter what sport, they were always carrying on. Dennis never did.
“Dennis’s impact on students and on the entire track and field program across Canada is unprecedented,” Campbell, also a Favourite Son, wrote in his nomination letter for Fairall. “He’s an icon.”
Fairall passed away at age 67 after battling progressive supranuclear palsy for many years. He stepped away from coaching roles in 2015 after dedicating nearly three decades to it.
“He was named Canadian or conference coach of the year 65 times in 30 years,” O’Rourke pointed out. “How does a guy do that? Nobody has had an impact on track – as a coach – like that guy.”
Fairall enjoyed many sports beyond just track and field; he excelled while attending Glendale high school. He played hockey, basketball, baseball and even got involved with harness racing.
He helped establish the Tillsonburg Legion Track and Field Club back in 1974 before turning Windsor into Canada’s top track and field school.
<p“He put in a lot of time and effort and he was good at recruiting – that’s why he did so well at Windsor,” Kelly Sivyer, one of the first seven athletes from the club, shared. “Even before he went to Windsor; he was already bringing people into the legion track club. It wouldn’t have thrived without Dennis.”
Fairell applied for director of recreation in Tillsonburg during the mid-1980s but eventually joined the University of Windsor in 1985 after not being selected for that role.
<p“It was a lifelong dedication for Dennis. That was his life,” Sivyer mentioned.
The visitation events are taking place by invitation over two to three days in Windsor, according to O’Rourke.
The University of Windsor will hold an online ceremony Saturday – live-streamed from Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse at 1 p. m. – which will highlight Fairall’s accomplishments.
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