The Ontario Sports Hall of Fame is an accredited charitable organization.
Registration: 867507188 RR 0001
The Ontario Sports Hall of Fame (OSHOF) proudly celebrates the rich legacy of sport in our province. For decades, Ontario’s athletes, coaches, builders, and journalists have inspired generations with their talent, dedication, and passion.
Some were born here. Others made Ontario their home. Together, they’ve delivered countless moments of excitement, heartbreak, triumph, and pride—moments that define who we are.
These sports heroes have earned a permanent place in our hearts and memories. It is the mission of the OSHOF to ensure their stories are never forgotten. We honour their legacies so that future generations may be inspired by their example.
The Ontario Sports Hall of Fame is an accredited charitable organization.
Registration: 867507188 RR 0001
At OSHOF, we are proud to be guided by the foundational values that reflect the spirit of sport and the people who live it every day:
Raised in Hanover, Ontario by parents dedicated to the education and benefits of sport for youth, Gravett was fortunate to experience many summer and winter sports. Introduced to competitive sports at a young age, this instilled strong values and a framework and life-long passion to provide guidance to others. Gravett held the positon as athletic program director at a high performance co-ed sports camp for 9 years.
A graduate of Université de Tours, France, Mark’s initial professional venture was in the travel industry. After extensive travelling worldwide, another door opened and Mark was recruited by THF, a global hotelier and a career in hotel management in Toronto and abroad. Committed to delivering exceptional service and hospitality experiences, guests included Prime Ministers, Presidents, External Affairs, professional and amateur athletes, actors and leaders in the cultural world. Unexpected opportunities and changing dynamics of hotel services, Gravett was introduced to the world of technology and digital evolution.
A new career in telecommunications began almost 25 years ago, launching a successful tenure in operations and high performance sales with such firms as TTS Meridian, Williams, TELUS and Black Box Network Services. Gravett managed enterprise and global fortune 500 accounts helping align clients’ new media to create positive business outcomes.
As President of the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, Gravett’s responsibilities include, managing the day to day activities of the organization, team lead for the board of directors, ongoing business development and executive producer for the annual induction ceremony and awards gala.
Mark resides in Toronto and has a daughter and son, both accomplished high performance athletes.
In 2016, Bruce Prentice stepped down as President and Mark Gravett was elected to lead the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. One of Mark’s key initiatives was to diversify the makeup of the Board of Directors and to expand the awareness of the Hall across 62 recognized provincial sports organizations and across the greater populace of Ontario.
The annual induction ceremony and awards gala continued to evolve. Quickly outgrowing the smaller venues, the gala moved into full stage theatre to the delight of 800 plus attendees. The celebration of inductees and special award recipients has expanded to include athletic school groups, renown provincial and international artists and performers, and sophisticated audio visual production facilities and talent.
Under the stewardship of Mark Gravett and the volunteer Board of Directors, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame became a registered charity in 2020.
During the challenges of the two year pandemic the Hall postponed its’ annual induction celebration and focussed on launching a new interactive website, community engagement, strategic planning and growth. The Ontario Sports Hall of Fame induction gala has become a much anticipated celebration on the annual sports calendar in Ontario.
In the 1990’s, the North American economy took a nose dive, and corporations pulled back sponsorships of all kinds of museums and halls of fame, including the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. After several exciting annual celebrity filled black tie baseball dinners, beginning in 1983, “Willie, Mickey and the Duke”, and the last being with Joe DiMaggio in 1991, the CBHF like so many others went into a financial decline, and finally, and sadly, ended up in storage.
However, thanks to many individuals who financially bailed out the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, it now exists comfortably in St. Mary’s, Ontario, on land donated by the St. Mary’s Cement Company.
In 1993, following his 15 year tenure as founder and full time President of the CBHF, Bruce Prentice resigned his position and took a hiatus to regenerate.
Noticing a void in the Canadian Hall of Fame scene, Bruce realized that Ontario was the only province in Canada without its own sports Hall of Fame. Then gathering together a few sports/business people, the constitution/bylaws, selection criteria, and other documents, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame was registered as a not-for-profit company. Plans were then put in place to elect the first 12 inaugural Inductees in to the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. For the first 3 years only, it was decreed that 12 athletes/personalities would be elected, following which a maximum of 5 would be elected each year.
Initially, some of the Board of Directors who took on the role of developing the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, were Dr. Al Fruman; Marcia Vandenbosch; the late Mark Dailey of CITY TV; George McConnachie; Nao Seco; John Brossard; Ian Smith and others were added later. When Bruce Prentice moved to the Board of Advisors, he turned the OSHOF over to the guidance of Nao Seco, and the Board of Directors at the time, Les Sperinck was elected President, and two more Induction Events were then held at Toronto’s Second City revue, with Sandy Hawley and then Daryl Sittler being the Honourary Chairmen, following the ’95, ’96, and ’97 events.
As the Hall began to grow in prominence and stature, the inaugural Induction Event in 1995, was held in Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre, with Paul Godfrey as Honourary Chairman; 1996 with Bruce Simmons as Honourary Chairman in the Pickering Recreation Centre; and 1997 saw the event return to the Convention Centre in Toronto, with Richard Peddie the Honourary Chairman.
In 2016, Bruce Prentice stepped down as President and Mark Gravett was elected to lead the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. One of Mark’s key initiatives was to diversify the makeup of the Board of Directors and to expand the awareness of the Hall across 62 recognized provincial sports organizations and across the greater populace of Ontario.
The annual induction ceremony and awards gala continued to evolve. Quickly outgrowing the smaller venues, the gala moved into full stage theatre to the delight of 800 plus attendees. The celebration of inductees and special award recipients has expanded to include athletic school groups, renown provincial and international artists and performers, and sophisticated audio visual production facilities and talent.
Under the stewardship of Mark Gravett and the volunteer Board of Directors, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame became a registered charity in 2020.
During the challenges of the two year pandemic the Hall postponed its’ annual induction celebration and focussed on launching a new interactive website, community engagement, strategic planning and growth. The Ontario Sports Hall of Fame induction gala has become a much anticipated celebration on the annual sports calendar in Ontario.
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