Durham College Athletics

Sam Dempster took over the Durham Lords men's baseball program in their inaugural season in 1992 and coached for 28 seasons until his retirement in 2020. Competing in the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Association (CIBA), Dempster's team earned a bronze medal in 1994 and a gold medal in 2011. They also competed at nationals in every season from 2005 until making the move to the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) in 2013.
 
In 2011, Durham won their first ever national championship, beating Humber College 6-1 in Moncton, New Brunswick. At the national championship, Dempster also earned his 300^th career victory. The Lords later won the National College Baseball Championship in 2019 under Dempster to finish off his career.
 
Durham were contenders in the OCAA right from the start with two silver medal finishes in their first two years and six consecutive final four appearances. In his final season, Dempster went out with another medal around his neck, earning silver after finishing 12-6 in conference play.
 
Over the course of his entire career with the Lords, Dempster recorded an all-time record of 443-296-1.
 
No stranger to being recognized for his work in baseball, Dempster was awarded the Julio Puente Envoy International Coach Award by Major League Baseball (MLB), presented for unselfish, dedicated and passionate work in growing the game of baseball. Dempster annually took part in the Major League Baseball (MLB) envoy program, touring throughout Africa and Europe with the goal of promoting and growing baseball to children worldwide. He was also inducted into the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 and named to Bob Elliott's top 100 most influential Canadians in baseball.
 
While coaching, he also served as a scout for the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers. In 2013, he was head coach of the Great Britain National team which qualified for the 2013 World Baseball Classic.