Sport's greats inducted into Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame

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For a few days Dave General thought perhaps somebody might be playing a bit of a joke on him.

General started receiving phone calls from well-wishers and media members wanting interviews. They wanted to congratulate him and get his thoughts about his upcoming induction into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum.

Though a press release about this year's inductees was issued in early August, General was not officially notified of his honor until a couple of weeks after by mail.

"It made it seem official then," General said.

A total of eight individuals will be inducted into the hall this year, four of them Native. Induction ceremonies will be staged Oct. 20 at the hall and museum located in St. Catharines.

General, a 51-year-old, will be inducted in the builder category. The three other Native inductees-Donald Gabriel, Russ George and Orval (Brownie) Porter-will go into the hall in the player category. Porter will be inducted posthumously.

General is being honored for his coaching skills with various Six Nations teams. Over the years he led several local squads to prestigious titles. His coaching accomplishments included winning Ontario titles at the peewee level in 1983, the bantam ranks in 1985 and the midget category in 1987.

General also guided the Six Nations Arrows to the Minto Cup, the Canadian Junior A title, in 1992.

"That's still the highlight for me," said General, adding that many of the players who were on the Arrows' roster that season had also been on clubs he had previously coached to titles in their minor days.

The Arrows defeated a host team from Coquitlam, B.C. in the 1992 Minto Cup, a series which went the maximum seven games.

General also won three more national championships. He was a member of the coaching staff for the Six Nations Chiefs, who won back-to-back-to-back Mann Cup titles from 1994 through 1996. The Mann Cup is annually awarded to the top senior club in Canada.

As for what his induction in the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum means to him, General simply replied: "It's always nice to be recognized by your peers."

As for Gabriel, a 71-year-old who now lives in Oka, Que., he was one of the best players Kanehsatake ever produced. He represented Kanehsatake at various levels from 1946 to 1966 and earned kudos for both his speed and his accurate shooting.

Gabriel is obviously thrilled of his latest accolade.

"I should be proud because not everybody gets it," said Gabriel, who was also an accomplished pool player in his younger days.

After his playing days were over, Gabriel remained involved in lacrosse as a stick manufacturer. He frequently provided players in the Rochester and Buffalo areas with their sticks.

As for George, who now lives in Lafayette, N.Y., he was certainly a lacrosse star during his playing days. His accomplishments include leading the Quebec Caribou to the National Lacrosse League title in 1975. George was the co-captain of the Caribou during their championship season.

His playing career included a stint with the Lafayette Lancers. During one stretch the Lancers had a 36-game winning streak, which spanned three years.

Porter, who hails from Fort Erie, Ont., starred for various clubs in his province.

He was a member of the Brantford Bills from 1949 to 1952. He then excelled for three years with the Dundas Hornets from 1953 to 1955. Porter was the Hornets' captain for all three of those years and he was also selected as the club's most valuable player each season.

Porter, who retired after he suited up for the Ohsweken Mohawks from 1964 to 1965, became a lacrosse referee at various levels when his playing days were complete.