Tom Dixon
Return to All Inductees
Tom Dixon has been involved in sports for his entire life. Now 60 years old, his passion for sports has not diminished in the least, if anything it has increased.
His first love is the great Canadian sport of hockey. He has been a supporter of both the Chatham Senior and Junior Maroons since 1953.
One of the proudest moments in his life was when the Chatham Senior Maroons won the Allan Cup in 1960. To this day, that team is his all time favourite.
However, the most pride was shown when his beloved Chatham Jr. Maroon won the Sunderland Cup in 1999, emblematic of the Ontario Jr. B hockey championship.
Tom was there to witness the first game ever played by the Junior Maroons in 1959, to which a love affair was started. From 1959 to 1974, Tom rarely missed a junior hockey game, however with his own children beginning to participate in sports, it was time to start volunteering his services to the minor sports programs of Chatham.
He coached minor hockey and baseball and also refereed and umpired for many years. He also played, coached, and refereed in men’s league hockey and coached, played and umpired in slow-pitch ball.
When his two children went off to university, Tom approached the Junior Maroons brass to volunteer his services, where they happily put him to work as a goal judge. He held that position for two years and was then moved to the penalty box and served as scorekeeper and time keeper for the next seven years.
It was at this time in his life when Tom’s health began to fail. He inherited a rare condition from his mother called Cerebellar Atrophy, which causes loss of balance and speech problems.
Tom continued to follow the Maroons via the newspaper, as he could no longer walk without the use of a cane or walker and did not venture far from home.
When his longtime friend Jim Torrie purchased the Chatham junior hockey franchise in 1996, it marked a change in Tom’s life, as he got back into the action and volunteered his services to the new Maroons. Also now using a wheel chair, Tom’s mobility was no longer an issue, as he was able to get restored confidence.
Tom’s first job was to assist in the 50/50 ticket sales. He also sold programs and later made Photo Buttons of the players and sold them.
Always with a passion to write about sports, Tom offered to write a weekly newsletter for the Maroons program. The response was overwhelming and now Tom spends much of his winter time on his computer, writing.
Tom also operated the Western Ontario Jr. B Hockey League’s hotline for five years, in which he posted the up to date scores on the phone, allowing the media and fans the opportunity to get game results in a speedy fashion. The hotline over the years became very popular with as many as 2500 calls a month being received from across Ontario. However due to rising costs of the operation, the league opted to drop the hotline and now posts the scores on the Internet.
This decision has afforded Tom the time focus more on the Maroons, both home and away, which will allow him the opportunity to be more personal in his writings. 2003, marks Tom’s 21st year of Chatham junior hockey involvement.