Joe Bryant (2006)

Joe Bryant was a product of simpler times in Victoria, where, like in many other cities of the 1930s and 40's, athletes would excel on more than one field of play. Although he was blessed with considerable abilities for pitching softball, scoring goals with a lacrosse stick and rippling the twine with a basketball, Joe took his talents behind the bench as a young man in Victoria and continued his winning ways for many more years. Known for keeping opposing batters on their toes, Joe was part of four B.C. softball championships teams as a player, but stacked up more titles as a coach. Barely age 20, he guided the Gorge Pharmacy team to a pair of Island Junior titles in the late 1930s and beginning in 1954, he led the Gorge Hotel men to a then-record six straight B.C. championships. A high-scoring lacrosse player at the Junior, Intermediate and Senior B level, Joe also spent a fair amount of time defending the goal in his younger days. He coached juvenile boys teams during his playing days and guided the Douglas Tire team to the B.C. finals in the mid-1940s. On the basketball court, he teamed with such local luminaries as Porky Andrews and Norm Baker on Senior B teams with colourful names like the Tommy Tucker's Red Hots and Black and White Taxi. He parlayed his years of hardwood experience into a position as assistant manager with the four-time Canadian champion Victoria Dominoes in 1946 and travelled east with the Dominoes that year as they captured their fifth title. Joe coached 10 more years locally, winning the city crown with the Tudor House Labatts.