Joe Wiwchar

• BIRTHPLACE Winnipeg, MB

• BORN December 26, 1935

• INDUCTED 1999

Joe Wiwchar was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on December 26, 1935. Wiwchar was a builder of baseball in Manitoba for well over seven decades. He coached continuously from 1953-98, and even found time to do more after that. From 1953-65, he coached with Earl Grey C.C (pony, colt, and grad), and he coached the South End Sioux to a league title in 1966 and ’67. In 1968 he coached the Fort Rouge Mallards (Manitoba-Saskatchewan), who were reps at the Canadian Junior Championship that year. Wiwchar moved to Morden early in his career, and coached the Morden Beavers to a provincial gold medal and a silver medal at Westerns. From 1971-98, Wiwchar coached the Morden Mohawks, who won 14 league crowns over his time there. He also coached the Morden Midgets in 1973 and ’75. Wiwchar coached the 1977 junior Team Manitoba to a silver medal at the Canada Games in Newfoundland, and he coached the Manitoba Bisons to gold at Westerns and bronze at Nationals. He was the recipient of the Manitoba Baseball Association (MBA) Volunteer of the Year award in 1985, and the MBA Coach of the Year award in 1986. From 1986-92, he coached the Pembina Valley Orioles junior team. In 1994, he chaperoned at the World Children’s Baseball Fair in Japan. He was coach/coordinator of the baseball program (ages 8-40) at La Rochelle, France in 1995 and ’96, and he was coach (1998) and manager (1997) of the Manitoba Selects at the Blue Jays Cup. He also served the Manitoba Baseball Association in several capacities from 1968-98. Since induction into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame, Wiwchar was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, and he has also been inducted as an Honourary Life Member into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame for his decades of commitment to the Manitoba Baseball Museum.