Earle Morris, a locally renowned curler from the Ottawa Curling Club, will be inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame this month in recognition of his contributions to the sport, on and off the ice.
Morris, 70, along with four other inductees, will be added to the Hall of Fame during the upcoming Tim Hortons Brier week on March 9 at a banquet at the Westin in Ottawa. Other inductees include Gatineau-born Pierre Charette, Paralympic curlers Ina Forrest and Darryl Neighbour and journalist Bob Weeks.
Morris, born in Rosthern, Sask., made Canadian curling history decades ago when he became the first man to represent three different provinces at the Brier, the Canadian men’s curling championship. His career in the military made him move frequently and he represented Manitoba in 1980, Quebec in 1982 and Ontario in 1985.
Morris didn’t win any Briers, though he is also recognized for coaching the world champion teams of Rachel Homan and his son, Vancouver Olympic gold-medalist, John Morris.
Earle Morris will be coaching Team Canada, led by Alberta Skip Kevin Koe, at the upcoming Brier, to be held from March 5-13 at TD Place.
“I’m extremely proud,” said his son, John Morris. “My dad’s been a longtime dedicated member to the curling community in Canada. He’s touched many other curlers in Canada, whether it be through camps or coaching. He’s put in a lot of time and it’s because he loves the game and he wants to see people picking up the game of curling and doing well at it.”
Morris, who was a long-time head coach at the Ottawa Curling Club, was not only instrumental in training elite players but also engaging and sharing his love of the sport with inexperienced players in the Ottawa community. The club has received nothing but praise from Morris, who was unavailable for comment.
“There is a winning atmosphere in the club that can’t help but to rub off on potential champions,” Morris told Centretown News in 2014. “I think it’s the atmosphere of excellence that is something many clubs don’t have.”
Morris is notable for forming the first “Getting Started” league in Canada at the curling club. The league introduces inexperienced adults to the sport and has since been adopted by other curling clubs across the country.
“I don’t know anyone quite frankly who has a higher passion for the game,” said the O’Connor Street club’s president, Tom Sinclair. “Earle has been a very strong element of the Ottawa Curling Club for many years.”
For Darren McEwen, who is the convenor of the Getting Started league, Morris’ induction into the Hall of Fame was both a surprise and something he expected.
“I thought he was already in it,” laughed McEwen. “I was thinking how is Earle not already in this?”
“He shows that you can be both fiercely competitive and can be social. Off the ice he’s one of the most social people you’ll meet.”
For McEwen, he’s a familiar face to many in the Ottawa curling community that continues to contribute greatly to the sport.
“He’s an amazing coach, an amazing dad and just an amazing ambassador for the sport.”
“He’s not done yet either.”
While John Morris claims that this year’s Brier will be tough considering the talent of the other teams, he says it’s going to be a special tournament especially for both him and his father.
“There’s going to be a few games where we’re going to have a section of 50 or so people wearing Canada colours and cheering us on and that’s going to be something I’ll never forget. It’s going to really help motivate us and inspire us to do great things there.”
He adds: “It’s really special because we both grew up curling in the Ottawa valley. We’ve had some great memories and to be able to come back to a Brier and to be able to play in it is going to be pretty special.”