Reginald (Reg) Percival Woodward
Sport: Multisports
Year Inducted: 1977
Reginald “Reg” Percival Woodward was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He arrived in Canada in 1924 and to Cornwall in 1936 by way of Ottawa and Williamsburg.
He will always be remembered for the outstanding contribution made to the Cornwall Sporting Community.
His initiation into the promotional field came when, on the quiet, he loaned $1,000.00 to help keep in operation the financially strapped Cornwall Bisons, a professional Class “C” team in the Canadian-American Baseball League, during the 1936-37 seasons.
When he returned to Cornwall after 4 years in the R.C.A.F., the sports bug was really in his system.
In 1945, he was manager and financial backer of a team in the Cornwall Senior Softball League. The next year, with Joe St. Denis, he organized and operated a team in the Northern New York Baseball League.
In hockey, the 1946-47 season saw him as owner and manager of the Calumets, Ottawa District and Citizen Shield Winners.
Following this success, Reg decided to make sports promotion a full-time vocation. He opened an office, hired secretaries, a full-time chauffeur, and John Denneny to coach a completely re-organized team in the Eastern Canada Hockey League. Deciding a farm system was necessary for the future, Reg sponsored a junior team in Cornwall and took over control of the Prescott Arena with Junior and Intermediate teams. He went first class all the way.
His senior team won Championships in 3 successive years with the 1949-50 team entering the Allan Cup play-offs and being eliminated by the Toronto Marlboros. It was the first Cornwall team to ever play in Maple Leaf Gardens.
Financial problems caused him to suspend operations in 1950.