Don played an instrumental role in the development and community and high school football in British Columbia, particularly on the North Delta.
He was a director, then president, of the North Delta Football League and focused much on his attention on development at the grassroots level. He instituted the Punt, Pass and Kick program, Atom division football, 9-man football, as well as started all-star games at the end of the season. He pushed hard to have these programs not only in North Delta but across the Lower Mainland.
Don mentored his two sons in the game of football, and even taught his oldest son, Mitch, the kicking game in his own backyard, going as far as to set up goal posts. Those lessons would pay off for Mitch as he would continue on in the game of football and eventually be part of the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009. Mitch was inducted in the BC Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Don also coached at North Delta Secondary School as an assistant alongside his old friend, Walter Becker. He also served as president of the Vancouver Mainland Football League. In 2010, he was honoured with a Builder’s Award at the Orange Helmet Awards.
Don passed away in July 2020.
