The 2024-25 Bobcat volleyball season is historic for a few reasons, not only is BU hosting the second national championship in school history, but it also marks the 20th anniversary of Canada West volleyball.

This year marks a significant one, but the program’s auspicious start came from humble beginnings

And it took two to turn a dream into reality.

As fall turns to winter the Brandon University Healthy Living Centre is abuzz on most Friday and Saturday nights as Bobcat teams compete in the friendly confines of their home gym.

The facility opened in 2012 and has become a staple in the Brandon and Westman sports scene, hosting Bobcat Athletics as well as various school and club tournaments, recreation programs and community sport events, but the facility was erected thanks in large part to the fact that BU Athletics was facing extinction.

From 1965 through 2011, the old BU Gym was home to Bobcat basketball, and while volleyball was popular in local high schools, it wasn’t much more than an intramural sport on campus.

Bobcat volleyball was born from necessity, as BU Athletics was placed on a three-year probationary period by the Canada West conference after the termination of the hockey program in 2002.

With just two teams competing in men’s and women’s basketball, the program was faced with two choices: grow or die. 

While there were many supporters who wanted to see the program not only survive but thrive, two BU staffers stepped up when needed most.

The two were friends for decades that became colleagues on campus: Bill Gadd was the business manager for Bobcat Athletics and Daryle McCannell was a professor in the department of Physical Education Studies.

The long-time friends first met back in 1987 when McCannell was the program coordinator at the Brandon YMCA. Gadd, a career coach and educator in Brandon, brought his Vincent Massey team for a weight training session in the basement weight room of the Y, and the two immediately hit it off thanks to a shared love of volleyball.

“I always called Bill a driving force,” McCannell said. “We were like bread and butter. It was almost predestined in a sense.”

Gadd was known as ‘Mr. Volleyball’ in Brandon, having created the successful Extreme Volleyball camp program. He also played a pivotal role in forming the first version of the regional volleyball officials association and growing the high school volleyball scene to the point of taking his high school squad on a trip to Europe.

McCannell came to BU as a faculty member later in 1987, teaching in the Department of Physical Education and serving a term as Athletic Director.

The two officially became colleagues when Gadd joined the BU staff in 2000.

Facing the possibility of Brandon University losing its place in the Canada West conference, the school was given three years to add a sport, so Gadd and McCannell went to work.

To say the two were the right people for the job is an understatement.

“We met with then President Dr. Lou Visentin because he knew the Bobcat program would become extinct. He gave us free reign to get it done. I was faculty and Bill was tied to the community, so we simply went to work.”

“We simply had to get the job done,” Gadd said. “I’ve always lived by the mantra ‘action must be taken’, and that’s how we approached this. That’s my style. It’s never been a job. I viewed it as an adventure.”

Their volleyball resumes and experiences came in handy, but the Herculean task ahead of them was no small feat. To build a program comprised of men’s and women’s teams meant countless hours of connecting with coaches, fundraising, recruiting, and generating support in the community.

The two knew right away that while the Brandon volleyball scene was the home base, the southwestern Manitoba community was equally important.

“We knew there was strong volleyball roots in Westman. There was a long history of successful programs in the region, so it didn’t take much convincing, it just took us showing that it was real,” McCannell said.

“We made it clear to have it be successful we needed the community to step up. The roots were there, we just need others to get on board and share our belief, and they did,” Gadd adds.

Thanks to the work of the two, the first version of Bobcat volleyball was running by the fall of 2001. The early rosters were comprised of local players looking for an opportunity to continue playing post high school, but Gadd and McCannell knew there was still plenty of room to grow.

The BU Board of Governors approved the sport as official teams for the 2002-03 season, competing in various tournaments and exhibition matches against other credible university programs.

But they still needed a league to play in.

On the court, Gadd coached the men’s side while McCannell coached the women’s team. 

Behind the scenes the two worked furiously to build the program as well as their full-time jobs on top of serving the hiring committee to find permanent coaches. The work also included fundraising to support the fledgling programs, including selling pork from a refrigerated truck in the parking lot of the old BU Gym.

Comprised almost entirely of local athletes that were products of the strong high school and club volleyball scene, the two relied on the support base that was already in place.

By 2003-04, the teams competed in the Central Plains Athletic Conference (now Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference) and with the support of BU administration and the Board of Governors the programs grew in terms of credibility on the court and presence in the community. 

The women's team won the CPAC championships that year, while the men finished second, proving the groundwork was clearly in place.

The blueprint was beyond drafted and Bobcat volleyball was approved by Canada West to join the illustrious league for the 2005-06 season.

By the fall of 2005 the teams were fully established, featuring rosters comprised of local talent interspersed with the odd recruit from across western Canada.

The teams opened the Canada West conference schedule on the road on October 21, 2005 in Regina.

The little school that was on the brink roared back and with fury, as the Bobcats men’s team won on opening night. The women’s team won the following day, and both teams were off and running.

A week later the teams competed in front of home crowds, bringing what was once not much more than a vision to reality.

“To see the local kids competing at Canada West was amazing,” McCannell said. “The gym was packed the attendance was great, even visiting coaches commented. To go from that to hosting a national championship a decade later was truly emotional.”

It wasn’t a slow climb either, as both teams were nationally ranked within a few seasons of CIS (now U Sports) membership.

The BU Healthy Living Centre opened in the fall of 2012 and has been host to many great volleyball moments, including the school’s first national championship host in 2016, and the Canada West men’s championship in 2019.

Both events saw capacity crowds as the 2025 men’s national championship is expected to as well. 

The legacy of their work lives on not only in the BU volleyball program, but in awards named in their honour. The annual team awards for inspiration are named after them, and the two were inducted into the BU Sports Wall of Fame in 2019.

To say Bobcat Nation has grown to support volleyball is obvious, but it started with two that had a vision and belief for what BU Athletics could be.

“I always think big. I thought once we had the new gym it would keep going and it has,” Gadd said. “It’s been amazing to see the last 20 years, but it’s also exciting to see where it goes next.”