Benjamin Sheardown (1944 - 1999)

Benny Sheardown was born in Whitehorse to parents Robert and Margaret Sheardown. Ben received his Bachelor of Education at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and a diploma in counselling psychology from the University of British Columbia. In his youth Ben was thought to be the best athlete in the Yukon and earned many awards. In 1980, he won a silver medal in hockey at the Arctic Winter Games and then ran over to coach the junior basketball team to a silver medal. Coaching basketball was his favourite thing and he dedicated thirty years to coaching Yukon youth. He was the first coach to make yearly training plans for his athletes. Ben Sheardown was inducted into the Sport Yukon Hall of Fame in 1998 for his contribution as an athlete and coach in hockey and basketball.¹⁾