Howard Tooby (2008)

Having built a strong foundation as a player in both basketball and tennis, Howard Tooby was a natural coach who became a mentor to many Victoria athletes. On the hardwood, he scored his first title of note in 1950, when his Tillicum Athletics won the B.C. intermediate men's championship. Showing he could get the most out of diverse groups, his C&C Taxi junior women (1953) and Scott and Peden junior men (1955) captured Canadian crowns. Tooby was equally adept at the grassroots, coaching a generation of children in the First United Church program. On the tennis court, he complemented an impressive local playing career by earning a solid reputation as an instructor. Starting at the Oak Bay club, and later being named inter-municipal tennis co-ordinator with Oak Bay's Gordon Hartley, Tooby became a fixture in spring and summer clinics, teaching the game's basics and finer points to scores of area youngsters and adults.