A fondly remembered teacher and coach who educated at Outlook High School for a number of years has been posthumously honored for his highly decorated contributions to athletics.
Darcey Busse, who passed away in the spring of 2008 after a battle with cancer, was inducted into the Canada West Hall of Fame late last month.
Busse arrived at Outlook High School as Vice-Principal starting in the fall of 2000, quickly becoming a respected educator among both staff and students and helping to spearhead the formation of the Outlook Blues senior football program.
However, in his younger years, Darcey was one of Canada’s finest volleyball players at the university level in the 1980’s, and he was a clear standout at his alma mater, the University of Saskatchewan. It was these impressive skills and a long list of accomplishments that saw Busse’s name get on the ballot for the Canada West Hall of Fame, and he was officially inducted on November 25.
Per the Canada West HOF website:
The native of Moose Jaw made history as the first student-athlete to be named player of the year in Canadian men’s university volleyball on multiple occasions, receiving the honour in 1984 and 1986. He was a Canada West All-Star in all five of his seasons, two-time Canada West Player of the Year, and earned CIAU All-Canadian selections in 1984 and 1986.
With the Huskies, Busse won the Canada West title and advanced to the CIAU championship tournament on three occasions (1985-87). At nationals, the Huskies captured silver in 1980 and 1985 and bronze in 1986, with Busse being named a tournament all-star the latter two years.
Busse capped his career receiving the E. Kent Phillips Trophy as U of S Male Athlete of the Year in 1985-86.
Busse was a member of the Canadian Men’s Junior Team from 1978 to 1980, and the Senior Team from 1982 to 1983. He won a silver with Team Canada at Universiade 1983 in Edmonton.
Following graduation from university, Busse became a high school teacher in Outlook, Sask., where he spearheaded the formation of the Outlook Blues high school football team.
Busse is already a member of the University of Saskatchewan Athletic Wall of Fame (class of 1994), Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame (2009), and Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (2012).
The Canada West Hall of Fame is a very new organization, created in the spring of 2019, with the first induction class unveiled sporadically throughout the 2019-20 season. The organization says that with so many stories of athletic excellence, 100 inductees will be part of the inaugural class, with inductees being announced one-by-one beginning in August 2019, and finally concluding this coming February.
