Curling legend among two athletes, two teams, two builders to be inducted into N.S. Sport Hall of FamePublished Jun 11, 2025 • 3 minute readColleen Jones, who won six national curling titles and two world championships during her career, will be inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in November. – CONTRIBUTEDNot even hip replacement surgery would keep Colleen Jones from hearing her name called to the hall.Jones was among two athletes, two teams and two builders introduced Wednesday as the 2025 inductee class into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. The greatest curler this province has ever produced arrived at the news conference in downtown Halifax in a wheelchair pushed by her son Luke, a mere 24 hours after she underwent surgery.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content“I wasn’t missing this today,” Jones said with a laugh. “The doctors want you up and moving as soon as you can after this sort of stuff, so we made it happen to come because for me, the hall is an incredibly special place. Colleen Jones and her son Luke Saunders attend Wednesday’s news conference to announce the 2025 inductees into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. – GLENN MacDONALD“I wanted to come and share how much the hall of fame means to me and what it means to Nova Scotians and future athletes. There was no way I was going to miss this. When they called about the date for the surgery, I told them, ‘I have a hall of fame event.’ They said, ‘you’re more than able to go’ so here I am.”Joining Jones as this year’s inductees are former Cobequid Cougars high school football and basketball coach Mike MacKay, longtime university and provincial-level basketball bench boss Bev Greenlaw, the 1979 national champion Saint Mary’s Huskies men’s basketball team, the 1982 Red Fox senior women’s hoops squad and the late Ralph Hollett, a three-time Canadian middleweight champion who went undefeated over a three-year stretch, including two memorable victories in 1980 in front of sold-out crowds at the Halifax Metro Centre.Article content Ralph Hollett (left) was a three-time Canadian middleweight champion. – CONTRIBUTED“He was tough as nails and soft as a cloud,” Judy Hollett said of her brother, who died of brain cancer in 2012 at the age of 59. “He was a wonderful person.”During her illustrious career, Jones won six national titles and two world championships. She was also a two-time Canadian mixed champion and a world senior titleholder. Jones is a member of Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame and in 2022 was appointed to the Order of Canada. The 1979 national champion Saint Mary’s Huskies men’s basketball team. – CONTRIBUTED“Our mantra in curling was let’s strive to be great today,” Jones said. “Let’s be great on the ice today. Let’s not worry about tomorrow’s game. Let’s not worry about the game we played yesterday that wasn’t so good. Let’s focus on this moment.”Even with her laundry list of accolades, Jones said the call to the hall in her home province is “the icing on the cake.” Basketball coach Mike MacKay of Truro. – CONTRIBUTED“It is icing … but it also means I overshot the runway,” Jones quipped. “I’m proud of the fact that I have lived in a province that didn’t set limits on you. And I didn’t set limits on me, so that combination allows you to be more than what you think you can be.Article content“My seven-year-old grandson couldn’t believe there was a hall of fame. I told him some day, I’m going to take you to the hall of fame and now grandma’s in the hall of fame. Maybe someday he will be, too. The hall allows him to dream and aspire to something like this, to know this is a path forward. I think it’s just amazing.” Longtime university and provincial-level basketball bench boss Bev Greenlaw. – CONTRIBUTEDThe induction ceremony will take place Nov. 8 at the Lighthouse Arts Centre in Halifax.“The way the hall of fame celebrates the past leads the way to the future,” Jones said. “It’s a special hall of fame that punches above its weight class in Canada in every category. I don’t think you’re going to see something that celebrates Canada’s best as what they’ve recreated here.” The 1982 Red Fox senior women’s hoops squad. – CONTRIBUTEDArticle content
One day after hip replacement surgery, Colleen Jones gets call to hall
