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 man who truly respected the game of softball; 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.

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.

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.

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. 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.