HAROLD 'WINGER' THOMAS TROPHY
This trophy is presented annually to a graduating player (in his or her final year of U14 eligibility) who demonstrates a combination of ability, sportsmanship, community involvement and academic achievement.
The award is named for former Beacon Herald sports editor and local sports enthusiast Winger Thomas.
Harold (Winger) Thomas was born in Bradford, England, on December 14th, 1904. He grew up playing soccer and cricket, and was a track and field champion at two secondary schools in his native country. As a young man, he played in the Bradford City Football Club organization.
It was soccer and a job in the Canadian National Railway shops that brought him to Stratford in the spring of 1928. With him came the nickname Winger.
For the next 20 years he played with the Stratford Nationals in the Western Football Association, mostly as their goalie. For 10 years he also played for a CNR team that won the Southwester Ontario Cricket League championship in 1933 and 1936.
For more than the next five decades he covered the gamut of sports in and around Stratford for the Beacon-Herald, the weekly Stratford Times and the London Free Press. He also coached, managed and trained a variety of Stratford baseball and hockey teams, secretary of the Stratford Lawn Bowling Association, chairman of the Stratford Nationals of the Intercounty Baseball League, and supervisor of the Rotary-Y Hockey League.
In 1971 he was named Stratford’s Sportsperson of the Year and in 2023 he was inducted into Stratford's Sports Wall of Fame as a builder.
2023-2024 winner Dan Gropp receiving the trophy from
Marlene Kydd, daughter of the late Winger Thomas.
2023 - Maxwell Metzger
2022 - Kaden Kuepfer
2021 - No Award
2020 - Kurtis Hergott
2019 - Noah Campbell
2018 - Tyson Shillolo
2017 - Owen Shantz
2016 - Roddy MacDonald and Callum Boersen
2015 - Ben Wilker
2014 - Jake Gansevles
2013 - Tom McDonnell
2012 - Mathieu Schneider
2011 - Brayden Broadfoot
2010 - Evan Downey
2009 - Stan Temming
2008 - Rob Gibson
2007 - Alec Fowler
2006 - Adrian Rhodes
2005 - Scott Leis
2004 - Max Besworth
2003 - Scott Groves
2002 - Brent Meidinger
2001 - Ben MacCuaig
2000 - Chad Breau
1999 - Aaron Casey
1998 - Mark Price
1997 - Jon McCann
1996 - Tim Faulhafer
1995 - Mathew Johnson
1994 - Geoff Cheney
1993 - Nolan Carroll
1992 - Allen Gilchrist
1991 - Brad McNeil
1990 - Joe Gilchrist
1989 - Greg Matthison
1988 - Chris Dunn
1987 - Jason Steinacker
1986 - Cory Herlick
1985 - Bob Tamas
1984 - Phil Kaethler
1983 - Chris Cook
1982 - Rob Simmons