If you want to hear about a beloved coach, respected educator and cherished mentor, just mention Thomas Doucette. His former athletes, students, and colleagues are quick to tell you what a kind and considerate teacher he was; how he was a dedicated member of his community; and, that he made sports and learning fun for everyone.

Hailing from Middle Musquodoboit, Doucette built up the softball and basketball programs there, producing teams that were much stronger than what you would normally find in a population of that size. When he wasn’t coaching local teams, Canada Games teams or even national teams, he was working as a course conductor with the national coaching certification program. On top of all that, his long-time day job was as a teacher in the Musquodoboit school system, where he was just as memorable teaching English as he was coaching young athletes.

“He was on the ballfield exactly the same way he was in the classroom,” says Robin Isenor, who was both coached by and taught by Doucette. “He kind of commanded respect. He wanted everyone to give everything they had every single time they made a play or did something on the field. He just commanded that every time he was at the field.”

“He was big on connections with kids,” continues Isenor. “He took pride in making sure he got to know everybody. His big thing was ‘Call me Mr. D.’ He was very informal, but at the same time he demanded a lot; he demanded your best every time you did something.”

Doucette consistently succeeded in getting his players to give their best performances, with two NSSAF Division 2 basketball championship wins, a Canada Games boys’ softball silver medallist team, two bronze medals and one silver at the International Softball Federation World Junior Championships, and gold at the 2003 Kelowna International Tournament for softball.

Doucette gave all of his spare time to his community, coaching high school basketball (both of his sons played), developing local teams and even volunteering at the Lions Club. He was known for always opening his home to players from visiting teams, making sure that even the opposition felt welcomed and had a place to stay.

Nominator Melissa MacKinnon, who was coached by Doucette on the 2001 Canada Games Softball Team, still remembers Doucette’s sage advice and quotes it to this day in her own coaching. “It’s Tom’s style of coaching that I try to emulate,” she says. “Know the game, know the rules, be a gentleman (or woman in my case), share your knowledge, and make those around you better. And do it all with a smile on your face.”

“He was always really positive,” says Isenor. “Even if you didn’t have a great game he took something positive away from that. He tried to think from a player’s perspective as much as possible […] He was always looking for ways to make you better or get you out of that slump.”

Doucette’s players praised his tactical approach to coaching and his analytical perspective that was ahead of his time in the 1990s. He was known for timing athletes as they ran from home to first and for making a real effort to teach technical skills.

His coaching style landed him positions with the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (during which time he received honours as Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year from both the Atlantic College Athletic Association and the Canadian College Athletic Association), and as head coach of four Canada Games softball teams (three boys’ teams and one girls’). In 2001, Doucette was named the Team Leader of Canada’s National Junior Men’s Softball Team, working his way up to a position on the development team before becoming head coach from 2005 to 2012. He finished his tenure with the junior national team by leading them to a fourth place finish at the World Junior Championships in 2012.

A level IV certified softball coach himself, Doucette worked as a coaching course conductor on a national level for over twenty years. He taught workshops, led training sessions, presented at conferences, and assisted with developing documents and programs to further the sport of softball in Canada.

“He did a lot of work with the National Coaching Certification Program in softball.” says fellow softball player and Hall of Famer Mike Henderson, “and that may be the most tangible thing because it’s there and it’s being used today.”

Doucette served long terms on both the National Coaching Development Committee and the Competency Based Education Training board, serving as Chair of the latter and directing Softball Canada’s transition to the National Coaching Certification Program.

Through his various positions, Doucette continued a lifelong love of teaching, passing down his skill and his legacy to a new generation of coaches.

“He was very, very passionate about it,” says Henderson, “yet absolutely determined to be equitable and fair in his treatment of officials, his own players, and the opposition.”

Doucette had a positive effect on everyone he taught and everything he did. He left his players with a better appreciation for the game, his community with more opportunities, and the sports of basketball and softball with a new wave of dedicated coaches who learned from the very best.

Bio Courtesy of Katie Tanner