Athletes of the Year
The Calgary Booster Club each year declares the top male and female athletes in the city. Winners come from a wide range of pursuits — from diving to wrestling, from basketball to boxing, from curling to luge — which is a reflection of Calgary’s bustling sporting landscape.
The female award is named in honour of Henry Viney, long-time Sports Director of CFCN Radio-Television. During a 50-year career, Viney covered sporting events around the globe. In 1976, he was named the Calgary Booster Club’s Sportsperson of the Year.
The Scott-Mamini Award was presented annually to the Athlete of the Year as chosen by the media until 1987 when it became the Male Athlete of the Year recognition. The award is named after Harry Scott, Sports Editor at the Calgary Albertan, and Bob Mamini, Sports Department Head at the Calgary Herald.
In 1958, Al Rollins (hockey) was the first winner, while Carolyn Waldo (synchronized swimming) captured the first female honour in 1987.
Female Athlete of the Year
Henry Viney Trophy
This award, named in honour of Henry Viney, the long-time Sports Director of CFCN Radio-Television, was established in 1987 by the Calgary Sports Media Club. Viney, over a career that spanned some 50 years, covered every major sporting event around the globe and received many major awards including Canadian Sportscaster of the Year (1967 Foster Hewitt Award) and the Calgary Booster Club Sportsperson of the Year (1976). The “little man with the big cigar” passed away in 1980.
Honoured Recipients
Male Athlete of the Year
Scott-Mamini Memorial Award
The Scott-Mamini Award, initiated by the Calgary Press-Radio-TV Sports Club in 1958, was presented annually to the city’s Athlete of the Year as chosen by the media. That format continued until 1987 when the Scott-Mamini became the Male Athlete of the Year recognition. It is named for
Harry Scott, Sports Editor at the Calgary Albertan and Bob Mamini, the Sports Department Head at the Calgary Herald. Both men were highly respected across the country during the 1930’s and 1940’s.