Not many people would classify a 6′ 5” man as small, but as a center in basketball it is. Competing against people nearly a foot taller and 100 pounds heavier, John Cassidy’s strong will shone through. In his early years, Cassidy played baseball, track and field, football, and badminton but his love was basketball.

He was named Ottawa Player of the Year two years in a row marking the first time anyone had won the award twice. Cassidy chose to attend Dalhousie University where he starred on the basketball team for four years. During his tenure at Dalhousie, the team met the British Olympic Squad and was the only team in Atlantic Canada to beat them.

In 1969, John Cassidy made his first national team and continued until 1978. He played in the World Championships and the Pan-Am Games, but his real dream was to play in the Olympics. That dream would be realized by the 1976 Montreal Olympics. With his size being a challenge, he was the last player to be cut from the team, but after an injury he was called back and made it to Montreal just in time.

Cassidy also played Senior ‘A’ basketball and won two national championships. He has since co-founded the Metro Masters Basketball Association and Beach Volleyball Nova Scotia. Most recently, he has spent many hours sharing his strong work ethic and team player attitude working at the Atlantic Provinces Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired.

“It is not the size of the man in the fight that counts, but rather the size of the fight in the man,” John Cassidy.

(Reference: Annual Program Induction Article by Al Yarr)