After serving 26 seasons as head coach of the Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team John Dore will retire at the end of the 2014-15 season.
“There comes a time for everyone to move on,” Dore says. “It’s been a great run. It’s been a privilege to work at Concordia all these years. I’ve met a lot of people and made a lot of friends through basketball. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, but now it’s time to pass the torch.”
Dore took over the reins of the Stingers in the 1989-90 basketball season after serving as an assistant for nine seasons. He was also an assistant coach with the women’s program in 1976-77 and 1977-78.
The veteran coach took the Stingers to the national championship tournament 13 times, including seven straight appearances from 1990 through 1996. He won the national crown in 1990 and placed second in 1995 and 2005. Concordia is the only Quebec school to make three appearances in the national final.
In the fall of 1995, Dore was named University Coach of the Year by the Foundation for Quebec University Athletics. He has been named the outstanding coach in the Quebec conference on 13 occasions. In 1991, he was named Men's Basketball Coach of the Year by the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union.
Banners and awards are among the highlights of Dore’s Concordia coaching career, including playing in Israel with teams from 17 countries and winning the Friendship Games in 2007, but the people and their accomplishments have made the biggest impressions.
“What I will look back on are the kids that came through the program and the successes they have had afterwards,” Dore says. “Among the highlights are seeing the guys grow up and be successful. We’ve had athletes go on to play professional basketball in Europe, get MBAs, CFAs and master’s degrees. It covers the whole spectrum.”
A native of Queen’s, N.Y., Dore also came through the university basketball program, starting with Loyola College in 1971 and finishing up with Concordia in 1976. Dore was a three-time Quebec conference all-star guard. Director of Recreation and Athletics Patrick Boivin realizes it won’t be easy to replace a coach with such extensive experience and credentials.
“Coach Dore represents the very foundation of our men’s basketball program and you simply cannot replace 25 years of leadership and dedication,” Boivin says. “Thankfully coach Dore will stay on board until the end of the season and give us a chance to properly acknowledge his contributions and influence on the Concordia basketball program in addition to giving us a reasonable timeframe to plan for his succession.
“On a personal note, I want to thank John for his candidness, honesty, perseverance and commitment to making his program and others better for the years to come. I wish him continued success with the next step in his life and truly hope that he remains involved with the Stinger family for years to come."
The search for a new head coach will get under way shortly.
