Ben Sheardown was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his
contribution as an athlete and coach, in the sports of
hockey and basketball.
Born in Whitehorse in 1944, Ben spent his whole life in
the Territory with the exception of a stint at
the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, obtaining his
Bachelor of Education and in Vancouver obtaining his
Diploma in Counseling Psychology at UBC.
As a youth Ben was revered as one of the best athletes
in the Yukon and earned many awards throughout his
storied career, including Rookie of the Year in Midget
Hockey at the age of ten! He played and coached many
Arctic Winter Games hockey teams, winning a gold medal
in '72, a silver in '74, '80 and '86, and a bronze in
'88. His biggest achievement at the AWG was in 1980
when he won a silver medal in hockey, he then ran over
to coach the junior basketball team to a silver medal.
Coaching basketball was Ben's first love as he dedicated
three decades to our youth. Coaching numerous basketball
teams to Yukon Championships Ben played an intricate part
in the development of basketball in the Yukon and was the
first coach in any sport to utilize yearly training plans
for his athletes.