Johnny Wilson

• BIRTHPLACE Grandview, MB

• BORN March 3, 1914

• INDUCTED 1999

Johnny Wilson was born in Grandview, Manitoba on March 3, 1914. Wilson started playing senior baseball at the age of 13, and he continued until he was 45. His first team was with his brother Vic, Horace, and his cousin Bob with a great tournament team from Tamarisk. He later became shortstop for the Broadview Buffalo team, who won the South Saskatchewan Championships. In 1939 he was with Coniston, Ontario, and in the 1940s he managed the prestigious Gilbert Plains team. In the early ’50s he managed the Grandview Maroons in the Northern and Mandak League, which included many foreign players. Wilson was chairman of the the committee to plan and build new a new Grandview ball park, and in 1979 it was renamed “Wilson Memorial Park”, to honour the sports contributions of John and Bob Wilson. Wilson was also Manitoba Baseball Association Director, president of the Northwest League, coached extensively, and he convened provincial tournaments.