Tony Clarke

Inducted May 10, 2019

Tony Richard Clarke was born in Cobourg, Ontario on August 8, 1975.

He started his involvement with Loyalist College as a student athlete in 1994 and was a member of the men’s volleyball team for two seasons. Tony was a hardworking, positive and energetic athlete that helped his team capture OCAA Gold in the 1994-1995 season. He graduated from the Recreation Leadership program in 1996.

Ten years later, Tony returned to Loyalist as a coach with the Women’s Volleyball program. His love, energy and passion for the sport made an immediate impact on his players and the program. Tony was a student of the game and was always looking to make himself a better coach. He was also an outstanding recruiter whose genuine admiration for the college made it easy to attract outstanding student athletes to the program. During his seven year coaching tenure, Tony would guide the Lancers to a playoff berth each season. In five of these seasons, the Lancers finished in the top three of a very competitive East Division. The 2008-2009 season saw Tony guide his team to a remarkable 17-3 record and a second place finish in league play. The Lancers would advance to the OCAA Championships where they lost a heartbreaking five set loss in the Bronze Medal game. As a result of this spectacular season, Tony received his first OCAA Coach of the Year award. The next season the Lancers once again returned to the OCAA Championships where they finished in fifth place.

Tony enjoyed a great deal of success during his coaching career at Loyalist College. He finished with an amazing 90-38 league record and several tournament titles. Furthermore, ten of his athletes were recognized as OCAA All-Stars and five of them were CCAA Academic All-Canadians. More impressive than the victories, accolades and awards was the incredible impact Tony had on so many of his student athletes. The focus he instilled on academics, commitment and being a good person continues to be a trademark of Loyalist women’s volleyball.