In Memoriam: Darwin Semotiuk and Larry Haylor
During the week of January 3-7, 2022, Western and the Faculty of Health Sciences said goodbye to a pair of emeritus professors with the sudden passing of both Darwin Semotiuk and Larry Haylor. Both men made significant contributions to Western, through their involvement on the football field and in the classroom. Together, they shaped the Western experience for generations of students and colleagues.
Darwin Semotiuk
Darwin Semotiuk
Well-loved in the Western athletics community, Semotiuk was coach of the Mustangs football team from 1975 to 1984, winning two Vanier Cup championships, in 1976 and 1977. He was named coach of the year in 1976 by then Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (now called U Sports), and was Western’s athletics director from 1982 to 2001.
He completed his PhD at Ohio State University in 1970 and became a professor in Western’s Faculty of Physical Education (now the School of Kinesiology) in 1974. He was promoted to full professor in 1987 and remained an active member of the teaching and research community until his retirement in 2014, at which time he was granted professor emeritus status.
Semotiuk’s research focused on comparative and international sport and physical education, sport and politics, Canadian public sport policy and sport coaching. He served as co-editor of the Journal of Comparative Physical Education and Sport and was president of the International Society for Comparative Physical Education and Sport.
Read how Semotiuk is remembered as transformational leader, in Western News' memorial.
Larry Haylor
Larry Haylor
During his tenure with the Mustangs, Haylor led the team to 185 wins, including two Vanier Cup titles in 1989 and 1994, and eight Yates Cup championships. He was named coach of the year seven times by the Ontario University Athletics Association, and was a two-time CIAU (Now U Sports) coach of the year. He was inducted into the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, and then into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
In addition to his coaching legacy, Haylor made significant contributions to Western’s academic mission. He joined the Faculty of Physical Education (now the School of Kinesiology) in 1975 as a lecturer and later became associate professor. He taught in the areas of coaching, leadership, and growth and development, and was active in the classroom until his retirement in 2011 when he was granted professor emeritus status.
Read more about Haylor's life and legacy in Western News.
