OSHAWA, Ont. – The accomplishments of the Durham College athletic department over the past 24 years under the leadership of Ken Babcock is extensive.
 
For furthering sport at Durham College, in Oshawa and all of his accomplishments, Babcock has been selected as a 2019 inductee to the Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame as a builder.
 
As athletic director, Babcock has helped lead Durham Lords sports teams to an astonishing 42 provincial gold medals and 105 medals overall in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) and an additional five gold and 22 overall medals in the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA).
 
"It was certainly an amazing thing to hear when I was informed of the induction news," said Babcock. "It truly is a wonderful honour to receive and I am extremely humbled by the thought of joining so many outstanding individuals and teams that make up the Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame. I certainly have plenty of people to thank, who have helped contribute to this personal recognition over the years. I am truly honoured and extremely grateful."
 
Not only have the Durham Lords teams seen success under his leadership, but he has been instrumental in the construction of athletic facilities on campus, which not only serve the students, but also the wider community.
 
Some of the major athletic facility projects undertaken during Babcock's time include the Campus Tennis Centre (now Campus Fieldhouse) opening in 2004, Campus Ice Centre in 2005, Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre in 2007 and in 2018 the conversion of Vaso's Field to an artificial turf multi-sport facility.
 
A tireless worker, Ken has served a variety of roles on the executive of the OCAA, including president from 2001 to 2003, founded the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association (CIBA) in 1994, created the Durham College Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, helped launch the OCAA Hall of Fame in 2003 and has drawn multiple provincial and national championship tournaments to Oshawa.
 
In 2003 for his efforts, he was named the CCAA's athletic director of the year.
 
Alongside his role as director of the Durham College athletic department, he was a key player in the creation of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) athletic department in 2006, serving as director for the first eight years of existence.
 
"His passion for sport is unmatched as has been witnessed during his extremely successful career at Durham College. I consider myself fortunate to have worked with Ken on the inception of UOIT athletics, while he oversaw both varsity departments on campus," said UOIT athletic director Scott Barker. "I have learned so much from him over the years that without a doubt has positively shaped my career. The personal drive, along with the amount of time Ken has dedicated to building athletics and recreation on both campuses, is something to this day that I have the upmost respect for. He has accomplished incredible success because of his hard work in his professional and personal careers in sport, so to see him be bestowed with this honour is a very special moment for me as a colleague and close friend."
 
A Brockville native, and father of two, Babcock has been in Oshawa since coming to Durham College as an athlete. Playing with the Lords men's basketball team until 1987, over 38 games with the Lords he finished with 513 points (13.5 points per game).
 
Away from campus, he has also given back to the Oshawa community primarily through Baseball Oshawa, where he has coached since 2005 and served as president since 2012. He was a member of the organizing committee for the 2000 Ontario Summer Games, 2008 Ontario Special Olympics Spring Games, as well as the baseball portion of the 2015 Toronto Pan-Am Games.
 
The inductees were announced Monday night at Oshawa City Council's meeting. The 2019 induction ceremony will be held Wednesday, May 29 at Tribute Communities Centre.
 
Babcock will be joined by former Lords men's basketball coach Peter Gordon, who is being inducted as a player for his accomplishments before his coaching years.
 
Rounding out the 2019 inductees are Fred Greenwood (lacrosse – player), Bill Prentice (hockey – player) and the Oshawa Tural 16/17 boys soccer teams from 1988-89.