• Captain of the U of A's CIAU championship team in 1980.
• U of A's cross country runner of the year and track & field athlete of the year.
• Set several records in cross country as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces.
• Received a City of Edmonton sports award and Province of Alberta achievement award. Inducted into the Canadian Forces Sports Hall of Fame.
• As a sports medicine specialist, he provided coverage for a wide range of sports at more than 28 international events.
Dr. Darrell Menard was nominated for induction to the U of A’s Sports Wall of Fame because of his career as a international class athlete, his roles in organizing international sports festivals, his remarkable accomplishments in enhancing Canadian Forces sports, fitness and athletics, his contributions to the world as a sports medicine specialist, his work with youth recreation programs, his roll as a sports medicine specialist with Canadian teams abroad and his contributions to both civilian and military personnel during his seven month tour of duty in Bosnia. For his outstanding humanitarian aid during this period Dr. Menard was named Brother of the Venerable order of St. John. Dr. Menard, in short, is truly outstanding, an international class athlete, builder and humanitarian.
Dr. Menard entered the University of Alberta in 1972 as a highly acclaimed high school track and field athlete. He joined the Golden Bears Track and Field team as a middle distance runner and made time for membership on the cross country team on which he starred, culminating his cross country career as team captain of the University’s CIAU championship team in 1980. His outstanding performances lead, in 1975, to his recognition as the U of A’s Cross Country Runner of the Year and in the year following as the U of A’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
In 1974 Darrell became a member of the Regular Officer Training Program (ROTP) and, as a consequence, he regularly competed for the Canadian Forces (CF) as well as the University of Alberta. In 1976, running under the CF colours, he place 4th in the Canadian Championships running the 1500 m. in 3:49.6, establishing a CF record that has not been broken. The following year he competed as member of a 4 x 1500 m. relay team that set a new Canadian record and he also paced the number 1 miler in the world to a new Canadian open mile record. 1977 was a banner year for this outstanding athlete for he ran as the guide for blind runner, Jacques Pilon, and together they established a new world record over 1500 m. at the Canadian Track and Field Championships for the Blind. His performance and compassion for blind athletes lead to his secondment to the 1980 Canadian Disabled Olympic team as a coach and guide runner. In the final event of those championships, Jacques Pilon, with Darrell as his guide, ran to an Olympic gold medal shattering the old world record by more than 10 seconds!
Darrell also ran long distances and in 1980 he set an Alberta Open Native Marathon record of 2:24.29 – one of the 10 fastest marathon times in Canada that year and one of the fastest ever run by a member of the CF. His outstanding performances won him a City of Edmonton Sports Award in 1980 and the Alberta Achievement Award for “Outstanding Performance in Cross-Country Running”.
Despite the enormous time demands of pursing a medical degree and raising a family, Darrell continued his high intensity training program and represented Canada at four world military cross country running championships – 1986, 1987, 1989, and 1990. His outstanding personal performances and dedication to the building of sports programs resulted in his induction (1996) into the Canadian Forces Sports Honor Roll.
Edmonton also benefited from Darrell’s commitment to the world of sport. He was seconded to the organizing committees of the 1978 Commonwealth Games where he helped with the hosting of the 30 km. Race Walk and the Marathon events. Subsequently he was invited by the organizers of the 1983 World Student Games to coordinate the principal training facility and to assist with track security. His outstanding work gained international acclaim.
As a Sports Medicine specialist, Dr. Menard has provided medical coverage for a wide range of sports at more than 28 international events and his provision of medical support to Canadian sporting competitions far exceed these numbers. Moreover, Dr. Menard has always made a commitment to share his knowledge widely. He is an internationally acclaimed writer and he continues to serve as the Surgeon General’s Advisor in this field.
For his amazing contributions to our Canadian Forces Dr. Menard was named Officer of the Order of Military Merit in 2004. This is the third highest honour bestowed in our nation’s military and the award was presented by the Governor General. (The other two are the Victoria Cross and the Cross of Valour.)
Dr. Menard’s accomplishments and awards clearly demonstrate outstanding and consistent merit, leadership, initiative, and dedication over a very long career. It is with great pride that we add his name to the University of Alberta’s Sports Wall of Fame.
