Kingston & District Sports Hall of Fame

Ken Matthews

Birth: November 14, 1928
Deceased: January 10, 2024
Home Town: Kingston, Ontario
Inducted as: Builder
Inducted for: Baseball, Hockey,
Inducted in: 2008

Biography:

For almost 50 years Ken was involved in almost every aspect of building sport in the community, from supervising to coaching, managing, administering and officiating.

From 1944 to 1949 Ken coached both bantam and midget boys softball teams at Kiwanis Square,  including an eastern Ontario bantam championship team in 1948. In 1952 he coached the Cardinals midget team to the Ontario Baseball Association final. Ken coached teams to three consecutive Kingston Baseball Association senior championships, 1955 to 1957.

Ken began coaching minor hockey teams in 1947 and in 1951 he founded the Royals organization, with which he continued to coach until 1963. In 1956-57 Ken coached the Kingston midget all-stars to the Ontario final.

At the executive level Ken served the Kingston Baseball Association as treasurer, 1958-59, and  president, in 1962. He was president of the Kingston Aces senior A hockey club in 1968-69 and  from 1992 to 2005 he filled many roles on the executive of the Kingston Ponies senior baseball club, until his retirement at the age of 77.  Ken was a founding director of the Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame.