This family had a huge impact on minor baseball in Rapid City. Dan was an organizer and often a coach to all four boys at one time or another. The family was presented special sports recognition awards from the Town of Rapid City when the family moved to Winnipeg in 1975.

After moving to Winnipeg, Jim played with the River East Junior team, John and Jerry with the Elmwood midgets and Rob with teams at Gateway and Transcona.

All four boys played with the Elmwood Giants Juniors. Jim and Jerry played on the 1978 Provincial and Prairie Region championship team. Both played on the Elmwood Juniors 1978-79 team that has previously been inducted in the MBHOF.

Rob played for the Elmwood midgets, juniors, and seniors. He played on back-to-back Canadian championship teams with the Manitoba Juvenile All-stars in 1981 and then with St. Boniface who won the Junior Canadian Championship in 1982. He helped Elmwood win the Provincial Junior Championship in 1984 and was named MJBL top pitcher and MVP. Rob went on to play successfully in the MSBL for a number of years.

Dan became heavily involved in umpiring in Winnipeg for about 15 years at many high levels and championships.

Roy Fortin was born August 12, 1949. He was a hard-hitting left-handed pitcher who played with Oak Point and Lundar area teams. He coached minor ball for many years and instilled a love for the game in his sons. Roy finished his playing career in Twilight baseball where he pitched Grosse Isle to a Manitoba Championship in 1990.

Troy Fortin was born February 24, 1975. He was a good defensive catcher who could hit – a nice combination. Troy played mostly in the Interlake area and has represented both Manitoba and Canada on several occasions. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1993, playing six years in their minor league system and then 3 years for the Winnipeg Goldeyes. Troy proudly played for Canada at the Pan-Am Games in 1999, winning a bronze medal.

Blaine Fortin was born August 1, 1977. He played his minor baseball in the Interlake area. In 1994, he won the MJBL batting title and was named both the Baseball Manitoba and Baseball Canada Player of the Year. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1995, playing 3 years in their minor league system. In 1996, he was flown to the Sky Dome in Toronto to catch for Roger Clemens. Blaine has played in many Western Canadian and Canadian Championships and even represented Canada at the World Junior Baseball Championships in 1994.

The Deloraine Royals of the early 1980s were frequent champions of the South West League. On three occasions they also won what now would be called the Manitoba Senior AA Championship. They were runner-up once. During this span of six years they represented Manitoba in the Western Canadian championships four times, and at Vibank, Saskatchewan, in 1983 they won this event. The members of the Deloraine Royals were an integral part of their town and contributed to the community in a number of ways. In particular, many of them coached youth baseball and other minor sports.

Winner of 5 MSBL, 4 Manitoba, and 1 Canadian Senior AAA Championships.

Ron was inducted in the Player/Builder category. He spent 24 years playing first base and pitching for the Riverside Canucks. He was a nine-time MSBL all-star and playoff MVP in 1978. His pitching record during his years in the MSBL was 49-14. His team won the MSBL championship eight times during this career and the Manitoba championship five times. Ron helped Manitoba win silver medals at the Canada Summer Games in Newfoundland in 1976. He later managed the Wawanesa Brewers for 10 years, winning six league championships during his time in the Border West League and the South West League. He managed the South West all-stars to a senior AA crown in 2007. Ron also managed to umpire on occasion.

 

Ron Seafoot Newspaper Article 1976

Ron Seafoot Newspaper Article 1976 (2)

Ron Seafoot Newspaper Article 1976 (3)

 

These newspaper articles belong to the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, Winnipeg Tribune Collection