Ken Shields has been a predominant figure in shaping Canadian basketball and has left a long lasting legacy that will forever be etched in our history and individual minds. For those of you that don't know that much about Ken or know little of him, now is the time for you to do your homework and read up on this man's accomplishments, starting from the very beginning. Ken originally started to coach the Laurentian basketball team where he enjoyed a brief stint which then landed him the job of athletic coordinator at the University of Victoria. He didn't know it yet but UVIC would be where where he and his wife would eventually coach and end up with banners and banners of championships. His coaching career at UVIC was nothing short of stellar. Their program in the 80's and 90's was so good that not even NCAA DIV-1 schools could compete with them. They played 14 exhibition games against very tough teams (Univ. Of Hawaii, Loyola Marymount, Portland) and ended up winning half of them. More impressive was the fact that none of the NCAA teams could say that they blew out Victoria, in fact all their loses against strong NCAA games were extremely close. The Order of Canada The Order of Canada is Canada's highest civilian honour, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the Order's Latin motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means, "Desiring a better country." Created in 1967, the Order was established to recognize the lifetime contributions made by Canadians who made a major difference to Canada. The Queen of Canada, Queen Elizabeth II, is Sovereign of the Order and the serving Governor General of Canada is its Chancellor and Principal Companion. Since 1967, 5053 people have been appointed to the Order of Canada. It is with great honor and respect that we acknowledge the 1999 Winner of the Order of Canada, Ken Shields. Not many people know this about Ken but we were fortunate enough to hear about his great accomplishments and his great contributions to Canada and are proud to recognize his efforts of changing Canada for the better. The Streak One of Ken's most impressive statistics is his record setting 'streak' which spanned the latter part of the 70's and well into the 80's. There is nothing easy about going on a winning streak. You need all your components working together, in harmony, firing on all cylinders. Individuals tend to sacrifice personal statistics for the greater good of the team and are expected to perform well beyond their expectations to keep the streak alive. Of course this streak can sometimes last a game or two and if it's very special then it can last a handful of games. Then there are streaks so long that are just called "the streak." Welcome to Ken Shields' world called "The Streak." It began as Shields won his first CIS championship banner in 1979-80 to which he repeated again in 1980-81. The repeat must tasted good because coach Shields dipped in and went for a 3-peat in 1981-82. They don't call it a streak for nothing, as coach Shields kept winning year after year after year, to the sweet tune of 7 consecutive championships with the University of Victoria. Chew on that for a minute, in fact don't just chew on it, choke on it. 7 consecutive championships is not just a streak anymore, it's domination like you've never seen domination before. His talented pool of athletes were so good that all but 1 team member tried out for the National Team and didn't make it. If I've given you the impression that UVIC's mandate was to produce top notch athletes then I am very sorry, I must have missed disclosing a big stat. Along with producing the best basketball players this country has ever seen, coach Shields' made sure that his players all obtained their degrees. In fact, only 1 player finished his athletic eligibility and didn't get his degree, the rest all obtained their degrees and some are now fine outstanding coaches within the CIS. How is that for a streak? Not only do you win championships for 7 years but you are shaping the Canadian National Team and you're graduating 99.9% of your class! Coaching Abroad Coach Shields has coached in 4 different countries, and in various professional leagues around the globe. He was an assistant on the national Japanese basketball team, an assistant to the Australian National Team for 3 years and the head coach of the Georgian National Team. He has also been called and invited down to various NBA teams to be a consultant prior to the regular season. In fact this past year he was a consultant with the Milwaukee Bucks where he partook in training sessions and helped the team out with his expertise in coaching. Unfortunately he had to cut his visit short due to an injury to his Achilles which forced him to come back home. Ken has also been a consultant with the Mitsubishi team in Japan. Mr. Mentor Perhaps Ken's biggest accomplishment is not on the hardwood but in the lives of his players that he contin

The CNRL/Markin Natural Resources Engineering Facility (NREF) at the University of Alberta, home to the civil, environmental petroleum and mining engineering programs. This building screams consistency and attention to detail. It makes no claim to the creativity or ingenuity of the students and faculty it houses, merely that there are engineers here, and that they're good at what they do. This building was completed about one year after I finished a graduate degree in Geotechnical Engineering at the U of A. From what I've heard, I shouldn't feel bad I missed it.