Johnston joins Roger Neilson and Bob Gainey in the Hall of Fame
On Friday June 6th, 2008, Rick Johnston was inducted into the Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame. He was honored along with seven other athletes from the Peterborough area and joined the ranks of legendary hockey greats Roger Neilson and Bob Gainey. The following is the Hall of Fame citation that will be placed alongside his image and permanently enshrined. Congratulations Rick for this accomplishment.
Born in Indiana, Rick's baseball roots began in Peterborough, before attending Cuyahoga Community College on a baseball scholarship. Continuing his education, he attended the University of British Columbia while playing at the National Baseball Institute.
Rick played for Canada in 1985,'87, '88, '89 and '91, participating in the 1988 Olympic Games, 1987, '91 Pan American Games and 1985/'87 Intercontinental Cups. From 1985-1995 he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he won two league MVP's and batting titles, co-held the single season homerun record and set records in runs scored and total bases. In 1994 Rick was selected to the Toronto Maple Leaf 25 year anniversary all star team. Rick played in three Canadian Championships, winning in 1993 with Tecumseh. He also won two Ontario Championships while playing Junior in East York.
Rick went on to coach. Starting at the University of Toronto, he led them to the CIAU championships in their inaugural year. He also coached provincially with Ontario, before uprooting to Croatia and France. Success continued, winning the Croatian Championships twice and the European Cup. In 2007, Rick coached Croatia at the European Olympic Qualifier. Internationally, baseball has taken him to 17 countries as a player or coach.
Rick coached/managed Canada five times, including the 1997 World Junior Championships, where Canada finished third and 2004 World Senior Qualifier where Canada finished first. In 2001, Rick managed the Toronto Maple Leafs to a .903 winning percentage, winning manager of the year. He also coached Ontario at the Canada Summer Games, where they finished with a silver medal. From 2003-2006 he managed the Brantford Red Sox, twice winning the manager of the year, while bringing a championship to Brantford in 2006. In 2005, Rick was named Canadian Coach of the Year while managing Team Ontario to the gold medal at the Canada Summer Games.
