Wayne Oates

Induction into the Newfoundland and Labrador Volleyball Hall of Fame is the highest honour Volleyball can bestow on an individual in this province. Wayne Oates is honored by his peers for his contribution to Volleyball as a Builder.

Wayne Oate’s volleyball career began in 1967 as a setter for the Memorial University Volleyball team in AUAA competition. For the next twenty-one years, volleyball was a way of life.

His coaching career began in 1969 when he teamed up with Graham Horwood to lead the P.W.C. Juniors to the city championship. His coaching record includes 10 provincial High school championships between 1973-1988. He also coached a team from 1984-1987, which were unbeaten in matches with a record of 92 wins and 0 losses (194 wins and only 17 lost games). Over his career his teams have won over 35 provincial tittles and have placed either 2nd or 3rd in countless others.

He has also coached at the National Level, at the Canada Games in Brandon in 1979 and in Cape Breton in 1987. It was this tournament that Newfoundland achieved a seventh place finish, its best placing to date in men’s competition.

Other than the Canada Games, Wayne has coached at over twenty National or Eastern Canadian Championships and is a fully certified level 3 coach.

As an executive member, Wayne has twice served as NLVA President and began the NF Volleyball Hall of Fame, hosted the first provincial junior high tournament and was responsible for the Provincial Senior Championships coming to Gander. He was a big part of restructuring the NLVA as during his terms corporate sponsorship became a reality.

Wayne also organized a Canada- Russia match in Gander in 1987 and a Canada Game tour of Holland, West Germany, and Belgium in that same your.

Wayne’s other interests and involvement’s include the NF and Lab High School Athletic Federation where he served as Vice-President for two years. His involvement with the federation included co-chairing of a high performance coaching symposium in 1986 a being chairman of Supervolley ’84. He served as the President of the Gander Golf Club from 1982-1986. Wayne has also volunteered as track announcer at the Canada Games in St. John’s in 1977.

Wayne has been recognized for his dedication in many organizations. He has been a recipient of the Reg Soper Memorial Award on three occasions. He has been the NLVA coach of the year three times and has been the recipient of the NLHSAF honor award, recognition award, and was named NLHSAF administrator of the year in 1985. He was the town of Gander Volunteer of the Year in 1984, a recipient of a 3M coaching award and is a member of the Memorial University Physical Education Honor Society.