Danny Toner: Farewell to my pal Fernando DeSousa
That’s the late Fern DeSousa , third from the right in the back row at Kingston’s Megaffin Stadium He excelled at every sport. Front row: Batboy, Robbie Franklin, Paul Murphy, Greg Orr, Dale Orr, Terry Angel and Joe Devine; Back row: Coach Arnie ‘Ol’ Hickory’ Jarrell, Art Woodhouse, Craig Gavel, Kevin Treacy, Gary MacGregor, Roy McEwen, DeSousa, Shaun Wight and coach Graham Gilmour. Photo: Murphy Studios.
February 7, 2022
By Danny Toner
On Jan. 30th, 2022, my friends and I lost a very important person in our lives as we grew up in downtown Kingston. His name was Fernando (Fern) DeSousa.
It seems appropriate to pay tribute to this Kingston sports legend as Feb. 7th would have been his 67th birthday. In my opinion, he was the greatest all-round athlete in the city with a birth year 1955.
A clipping from the Kingston Whig-Standard shows Fernando DeSousa, left and life long pal Danny Toner with a Harlem Globetrotter at the Memorial Centre.
Fern was a Canadian all-star biddy basketball guard and Fern and I would often look back to those “Glory Days” with fond memories of what a thrill it was to play before the Harlem Globetrotters at the Memorial Centre and then sit on their bench and watch them thrash the Washington Generals.
We would meet at Victoria Park and work our way down Pine St. to St. Pat’s school where we had the privilege of having the likes of Pete Peterson, Grant Timmins and the legendary Ron Lavallee and others as mentors.
The first year Fern played organized ball -- Peewee in the Kingscourt Little League -- he won the batting championship, a testament to his athleticism.
Lefty Arnie Jarrell and Graham Gilmour coached the Tigers to the Peewee championship. Jarrell, known as Ol’ Hickory, won 40 games in 74 starts with the class-C Kingston Ponies (1946-48).
And in 1971, Jarrell and Gilmour coached the Blaney’s Ponies -- sponsored by barber George Blaney -- to a Kingston midget title.
Fern didn’t start hockey until later than most, but was a solid winger by his second year bantam and was part of the 1970 Church Athletic League bantam hockey champs.
Fern was an accomplished lacrosse, soccer and football player. At 5-foot-7 and weighing about “a buck fifty,” he always punched above his weight. Fern could go around you, over you, under you or through you as he was a combination of skill, quickness and tenacity.
My good friend Paul Murphy tells me the story of the day Fern showed up at his place on Nelson Street with a lacrosse stick in hand, announcing he was going to join a team. Paul reminded him that he’d never played the game. Fern answered: “I’ll figure it out.”
He did.
I was also told recently he was the horseshoe city champion, representing Victoria Park. Fern was intelligent, articulate, generous, sensitive, passionate and loyal and was loved by most.
Although he was somewhat mischievous, Fern would light up a room and bring smiles to the faces of adults likes Leo Murphy, Joe Hawkins and J.C. Higgins.
My Mom Lucie commented on how funny he was and called him an entertainer. I was fortunate to grow up with great friends like Paul and Mike Murphy, Gary Murphy, Jim Higgins, Doug Salsbury, Shaun Wight and many others too countless to mention and I know I can speak on their behalf that Fern was a great guy and we will miss him.
To anyone reading this, please feel free to share this with people that Fern may have touched during his wild journey through life.
RIP Fern, You will be missed but not forgotten!!!
Your friend,
Danny
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De Sousa, Top Hitter In Peewee
Name, Team AB H Avg.
Fernando DeSousa, C 38 17 .447
Tom O’Toole, T 31 13 .419
Paul Murphy, T 37 15 .405
Bob Murray, Y 35 14 .400
George Patterson, Y 45 15 .333
Bob Ferguson, Y 36 12 .333
Bob Butterill, Y 27 9 .333
Bob Boutiler, C 48 15 .312
Gary Murphy, T 45 14 .311
Dale Orr, T 39 12 .307
Gary MacGregor, C 26 8 .308
Key: C-Cardinals, T-Tigers, Y-Yankees, B-Braves.
You may recognize some of those name DeSousa bested:
_ Tom O’Toole was not drafted but played goal for the Butte Copper Kings, Tucson Icemen, San Francisco Shamrocks, Broome Dusters, Utica Mohawks, Salem Raiders, Richmond Rifles and the Muskegon Mohawks from 1975-76 to 1980-81.
_ Bob Murray played for the Cornwall Royals of the Quebec Major Junior League from 1971 to 1974, winning a Memorial Cup,. Chicago drafted him 52nd overall in the 1974. He played in the NHL from 1975-1990 as a defence man with the Blackhawks. Murray was formerly the general manager of the Anaheim Ducks.
_ Bob Ferguson was at one time the winningest coach in the history of U.S. junior hockey, and later was twice coach of the year in the East Coast League. Now GM of the AHL San Diego Gulls, he was asked if he’d consider going behind the bench, if COVID depleted his staff. His answer to Paul Murphy: “I haven’t lost a game coaching in 14 years and I want to keep my record intact. Ferguson’s son Brett is the Ducks’ video coach and when COVID hit their staff recently, Brett stepped behind an NHL bench for the first time. Grandpa Lorne Ferguson played 422 games in the NHL with the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks.
_ Gary MacGregor skated for the Cornwall Royals as well and in 1973-74, scored 100 goals. He was selected by both the NHL and World Hockey Association in 1974, and chose the WHA, signing with the Chicago Cougars, scoring an average of almost a point per game. He also skated for the Denver Spurs, Ottawa Civics, Cleveland Crusaders, New England Whalers, Indianapolis Racers, and Edmonton Oilers. MacGregor died at the unfair age of 40 and was elected to the Kingston and District Hall of Fame.
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Editor’s note: DeSousa played shortstop for the 1970 Kingscourt Little League all-stars in Kingston. He was teamed up the middle with Paul Murphy, now a published author. DeSousa was with were the Machinists Union Mets, while Murphy was with the White Sox during the season.
I coached a team in the league -- with Kirk Twigg, Roy McEwen, Robbie Franklin, George Patterson, Jim Kyle and Pete Bradden, who was a stud. I remember that I had coached DeSousa, who some of the kids called “Banana” for some reason, but could not remember if he was on my team, the Kingston Police Association, or the all-star team. I told a coach how bad I felt. He replied, “It was 51 years ago.”
The way I remember it -- it was only 51 years ago and I can’t find the score books -- we eliminated Belleville in the best-of-three series. We were eliminated by Peterborough with the likes of Dale Orr, Danny Lahey, Bob Butterill, Terry Angel, Jim Higgins, Danny Esford, Johnny White, as well as the Murphy twins, Paul and Mike, and DeSousa. Toner struck out 14 in the one-run loss as Angel knocked in two runs with a double off the right field fence. Toner also struck out 13 in six innings in the Game 1 loss. Neither Peterborough starter John Huddlestone or Toner allowed a base hit over the six innings of Game 1. Danny Esford and McEwen homered to force a deciding Game 3.
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Sympathies are extended to Fern’s children, Tyler and Ashley.