Lorne Allard was born in Port Arthur, Ontario in 1932. He attended St. Joseph's Elementary School before going on to the Port Arthur Collegiate Institute where he graduated from grade 13 but turned down an opportunity to go to the University of Arkansas on a track and field scholarship.

During his school years, Lorne did it all! He was active in track, boxing, hockey, baseball, football and soccer. He also had time to pursue his hobbies: fishing and photography.

Lorne's personal accomplishments in sport were shared with others through his willingness and ability to share his know how. In the 1950s he boxed under former Canadian welterweight champion, Billy Powell, and went on to become a district welterweight champ himself before helping set up the Orphan Boxing Club which operated out of the Finn Hall.

In track, Lorne specialized in the 1/4-mile and 10-mile distances, setting the district 1/4-mile record of 53.2 seconds, a record which stood for many years until it was broken by Don Domansky. Lorne also ran a 4.22 mile at the Empire Games trials before returning to help form the Phalanx Track and Field Club, which operated out of the Port Arthur Y.M.C.A.

In baseball, Lorne caught and pitched for the Junior Red Sox and Port Arthur Giants before moving to centre field in his later years with the sport, then returning to help organize Port Arthur Pony League Baseball and to work towards the construction of a diamond at George Burke Park. In the sport of football, he was a longtime two-way player with the senior Port Arthur Mustangs.

But hockey was his favourite sport. His playing days took him as far as the Port Arthur Juniors, coached by Ed Lauzon, and for more than 40 years he remained involved in the sport as a coach and sponsor of minor hockey teams. He was actively involved with Port Arthur Junior Hockey Inc., and coached the Volunteer Pool Midgets in the late '80s.

Lorne was the first person from the district to attend a national coaching clinic and was the first to set up similar clinics in Thunder Bay. He personally attained a "Level 4" in the National Coaches' Certification Coaching Program and over the years had outstanding players such as NHL'ers Lee Fogolin Jr., Vic Venasky and Nelson Pyatt playing for his minor hockey teams.

A highlight of his coaching career occurred back in the 1970s when a local team of midget-aged players assembled by Lorne and Joe MacArthur handed the touring Soviet Dynamo Midgets a convincing defeat at the Fort William Gardens.

Lorne Allard's contributions have not gone unnoticed. In 1976 he was recognized as Senior Sportsman by the Royal Canadian Legion as a recipient of the George Rowe Memorial Award and is the recipient of many other civic honours--fitting tributes to this Thunder Bay builder.

Inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, September 29, 1984