Sports Wall of Fame
• Point guard for Maury Van Vliet - coached Bears basketball team, winning four consecutive Canada West Championships.
• Uncanny passing and deadly shooting won him the nickname "Golden Boy" from the local media.
• Playing coach for the Lethbridge Green Aces senior men's team and the Edmonton Town Hallers, who placed second overall in the competition to represent Canada at the 1956 Olympics.
• Teacher and coach of the Western Canada Redmen senior boys’ team, winning three consecutive Calgary city championships without a loss.
The outstanding athletic career of Donald Newton started in his home town of Cardston, Alberta where he honed his talents as an athlete and led his high school “Cougars” basketball team to the Alberta Senior Boys’ Championship in 1949-’50. The Cardston Cougars regularly tested their skills against American teams and it was during a trip to Montana that Don first saw players using a new shooting technique – the jump shot. Impressed by the offensive power of this shot Don practiced it daily until he perfected it. The jump shot became one of his trademark skills. It was Don who introduced this form of shooting to Alberta and history was made in the province. An invitation to play on the U of A Golden Bears resulted from a visit to Cardston by Dr. Maury Van Vliet, Herb McLachlin and Don Smith.
From 1950 to 1954 Don Newton, dubbed the “Golden Boy” by local papers, starred as a point guard on Maury Van Vliet’s powerful Golden Bears basketball teams. During those halcyon years the Bears swept to four consecutive Western Canada Interuniversity Athletic Union (WCIAU) championships. At this point in the history of Canadian Intercollegiate sport, national championships were not contested. That the Golden Bears of this era were a national powerhouse is attested to by the fact that many of the graduates from the Bears played on the Edmonton’s nationally acclaimed Town Hallers Senior Men’s team.
Don Newton was a master back-court quarterback for the Golden Bears. It was his over-all court awareness, coupled with uncanny passing and deadly shooting that won him his “Golden Boy” nickname and all-star status. Don’s efforts were recognized by his receipt of a Small Block award in his freshman year and the Big Block “A” in each of his subsequent years on the Bears teams.
After graduation Don returned to southern Alberta where, in 1954-’55, he served as a playing coach on the Lethbridge Green Acres Senior Men’s team. He was again recruited by Dr. Van Vliet who was assembling the Edmonton Town Hallers to challenge for the opportunity to represent Canada at the 1956 Olympics. Newton became a key member of this squad and starred in its backcourt. The Town Hallers finished second in the competition to represent Canada at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. After his season with the Town Hallers, Don accepted a position on the staff of Western Canada High School in Calgary. As teacher and coach of the Western Canada Redmen senior boys’ basketball team, Don took them to three consecutive Calgary city championships without a defeat – a winning record never equaled. His Redmen won the Alberta Provincial Championship in 1959 after being runners-up the two previous years. During this period (1957 to 1959) Don also journeyed regularly to Lethbridge to play for another powerhouse in Canadian basketball – the Lethbridge Broders, perennial challengers for the Canadian Men’s Senior championship. True to form Newton was an outstanding scorer and defensive stalwart for the Broders.
In 1960 Don was lured to the University of Saskatchewan where he joined the College of Physical Education and became the head coach of the Huskies basketball team. He quickly molded it into a top contender and the Huskies won the Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA) co-league champions in 1964. During his tenure at the U of S, Don made time to play basketball in the Saskatoon Senior Men’s League and from 1961 to 1965 led the league in scoring and was named to the all-star team every season. But Alberta beckoned and in 1966 Don joined the School of Physical Education at the University of Calgary. During his tenure as head coach of the Dinosaurs, 1966-1973, Don’s teams were outstanding league and national contenders. In 1967 the Newton-led Dinosaurs were named as Alberta’s representatives for the Quebec City Canadian Winter Games – a special honour given that these were the nation’s first such competitions.
The leadership qualities of this inductee shone beyond the fields of coaching, teaching and research. He served his sport, his province and his nation in many other ways. From 1961 - 1962 he was the president of the Saskatchewan Basketball Association and served the Alberta Basketball Association as Vice-President from1970 - 1971. Throughout his career he was a powerful spokesman for the Canadian Association for Health Physical Education and Recreation (CAHPER) filling many executive roles over the course of more than twenty years, including that of national president from 1977 to 1978. His outstanding contribution to his profession and particularly to high school athletics was recognized by the Alberta Schools Athletic Association (ASAA) when, in 1977, Don was name recipient of the coveted Robert Routledge Honor Award. Don was also the founding president of the Alberta Fitness Leadership Certification Association (AFLAC) and served as president from 1984 to 1989. He was honoured by CAHPER with the R. Tait McKenzie Medal for Outstanding Service in 1980 and the Queen’s Medal for outstanding Service and Leadership in 1977. He won an Alberta Achievement Award in 1988 - a fitting tribute to 38 years of outstanding contributions to his sport, his profession, and his province and his nation. Don was awarded the status of Professor Emeritus on his retirement from the University of Calgary in 1987. The name of Dr. Donald Newton adds luster to the University of Alberta’s Sports Wall of Fame and we are proud to include him as a member of our Alumni.
