Brandon University Dick and Verda McDonald Sports Wall of Fame
Daryle McCannell spent 30 years at Brandon University in the physical education department from 1987 to 2017. He spent the final six years serving as department chair. He served a two-year stint as BU Athletic Director in the mid 1990s.
McCannell earned major awards for his dynamic and engaging teaching style. In 2012, he was recognized with the Innovator Award by the Manitoba Physical Education Teachers Association. Two years later, he captured the BU Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award.
He has been promoting healthy living in western Manitoba for decades. Prior to BU, he was the program director at the Brandon Family YMCA.
The early years of his teaching career included Sanford, Man. and Brasilia, Brazil where he coached a variety of sports including basketball, field hockey, track and field and volleyball.
McCannell also made an impact south of the border in Minnesota. In 2016, he was inducted into the Bemidji State University Professional Education Hall of Fame. He played hockey and baseball for the Beavers and graduated with an undergraduate degree in 1973 and a Master's Degree in 1979. He also coached hockey at Bemidji High School.
His greatest coaching achievements were in Brandon. He led the Neelin Spartans to back-to-back AAA provincial girls' volleyball titles in 2000 and 2001.
He guided the Bobcat women's volleyball team to the Central Plains Athletic Conference championship in 2004. The CPAC title was an important step in Brandon University making the jump to the university level. McCannell played a major role in that process, which saw the Bobcats play their inaugural Canada West season in 2005-06. BU Athletics created the Daryle McCannell Inspirational Award which is handed out to a member of the Bobcat women's volleyball team each season.
McCannell was also a member of the 1968 Coulter Red Sox, who were inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.
