The Dalhousie Tigers - Dalhousie University

The committee making the selection for the inaugural Class of ’55 Award for the best female athlete at Dalhousie set the bar high. The award was established to be presented to the Dalhousie female student who best embodied the qualities of athletic ability, fair play and team spirit. Barb Clancy was just the talented multi-sport athlete and student the committee was looking for. Barb excelled in all aspects of her experience at Dalhousie; she was the perfect choice.

Arriving at Dalhousie in 1952, Barb was anxious to get involved in sport. She was immediately selected as the Freshette representative on the Dalhousie Girl’s Athletic Club.  This campus involvement in the administration of women’s sport continued for Barb throughout her time at Dal. She eventually became the Secretary Treasure in 1953-54 and President in 1954-55.

A real “doer” in her time at Dal, Barb also served as the secretary of her class in 1953 and was the 1954-55 Pharmacy Society Representative in the annual Munro Day Campus Queen contest.

In her first year at Dalhousie, Barb was involved with badminton, playing as part of the doubles team that represented the university at the provincial championship.

Her first athletic love however, was basketball. She was named to the varsity women’s basketball team and played an important role in the teams’ offence. She was noted several times in Gazette game reports for playing a solid role in the Tigers’ game. That year the team defeated Acadia 59-33 and 66-38 for the Nova Scotia Intermediate Senior Ladies Basketball Title. The team went on to win game one versus UNB of a two-game total point series for the Maritime Championship, 47-27.

In 1953 Barb’s athletic interests expanded to include field hockey. This was another area for sporting success as Barb was part of a talented team that went undefeated through the season including the playoffs to claim the intercollegiate championship for the third consecutive year.

As fall turned to winter, Barb returned to the hardwood and started with a bang as she scored a game high 12 points in a 43-19 win to open the season. The team played a solid season racking up wins over UNB, Acadia and Mount Allison on route to a second consecutive intercollegiate championship.

The 1954-55 year got off to a great start. Barb was an instrumental part of the field hockey team’s success. She scored many important goals that year, perhaps none more important than the two she scored to win the Nova Scotia Championship. In the two-game Maritime Championship series, the Tigers came up a bit short. Barb scored an important goal in game one to tie (2-2), but the team was unable to score in game two and lost 1-0 to Mount Allison.

This year also marked the introduction of women’s volleyball at Dalhousie. Despite her lack of experience with the game, Barb thought she would try her hand at that sport as well. With a solid group of athletes and a competitive spirit, the team earned a second place finish at the Maritime Championship.

The basketball team was once again winning in 1954-55 also. Barb, as usual, was the leader and a scoring threat in all the games. She earned nearly half the points (23) in a city league game to defeat the powerhouse Tartans, 51-36.

Barb had some heart-stopping moments through her sports career at Dal. She dramatically hit the desperation shot on February 10, 1955 to put the Tigers over the top against Mount Allison, 34-32. In the City Title championship game Barb scored 14 of Dalhousie’s 28 points in a 28-22 victory and contributed 13 points in the 36-21 Maritime championship game victory. This would mark the third year in a row the Tigers were MIAU Champions.

Prior to this year, the Marjorie Award was the only award available for overall women’s performance in athletics. This award however also had requirements outside of the field of play and did not recognize athletic performance to the same degree as the Climo Award did for the men of Dalhousie. With the inaugural presentation of the Class of ’55 Award to Barb Clancy, Dalhousie women had an athletic award on par in terms of prestige and recognition for athletic achievement with that of the men. A more fitting person could not have been selected; Barb’s presence on the roster seemed to indicate that the team was a winner, or at the very least, a favourite to win.

An excellent example of the kind of person that Dalhousie produces, it is only fitting that Barb Clancy become part of the Dalhousie Sport Hall of Fame.