Brandon University Dick and Verda McDonald Sports Wall of Fame
Patty Kinvig (nee Wood) overcame enormous odds to become an award-winning basketball player at Brandon University.
She battled through a series of serious illnesses to earn Great Plains Athletic Conference rookie of the year and was recognized nationally with the U Sports (formerly CIAU) Tracy MacLeod Inspiration Award in 1997-98.
Her first year started by being diagnosed with diabetes and later mononucleosis and hepatitis. It resulted in her spending time in hospital during an egregious six-week layoff.
Kinvig showed true grit and returned to finish the regular season. She hit 42 of 67 shots in 11 games for an impressive 62.7 field goal percentage. The sparkling stat would have been good for top spot in the country had she played the entire schedule.
Determination and perseverance continued for Kinvig in 1999-2000. She averaged a team-best 10.4 points per-game and shot 60 percent from the floor while earning Brandon University's H.S. Perdue Award.
A long-awaited triumph came in 2000-2001. Kinvig scored 10 points and eight rebounds in leading the Bobcats to an upset victory over the nationally ranked UBC Thunderbirds on home court.
The 6-foot post averaged 11 points and more than five rebounds per-game on the season and was a GPAC second-team all-star and BU's Female Athlete of the Year. She had a league-best field-goal percentage of 57.5 and finished in the top 10 in free throw percentage and blocked shots.
She concluded her Bobcat career in 2001-2002 by receiving the H.S. Perdue Award for the second time.
Prior to wearing blue and gold, Kinvig represented Manitoba at the 1997 Canada Summer Games and was a provincial AAAA high school all-star with the Glenlawn Lions.
The Winnipeg native moved to the West Coast and is the Assistant Terminal Manager at Ashcroft Terminal, the province's largest inland terminal.
Kinvig inspires as a cancer survivor after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2011. She has also given back to the B.C. basketball community as a volunteer coach.
