The sign of a successful athlete is the ability to exceed at whatever sport they undertake, such is the case with Dallas Allaire. A natural athlete, who competed in a number of sports, he claimed national honours in baseball and running. When the Port Arthur Continentals won the Canadian Little League (Major Division) Baseball Championships in 1975, it was Dallas who pitched a one-hitter in the final game, and put in a .460 batting average in tournament play.

 

A member of Hillcrest High School's famous 'Green Machine' and the Athletes Northwest Track Club, Dallas went virtually undefeated in local cross-country and track competitions between 1975-81. Winning practically every event he entered in SSSAA and NWOSSA competitions, he also set records along the way. At OFSAA events he was just as impressive as a bronze medallist in the junior 1500m event in 1979 and in the senior event in 1980. When the OFSAA championships were held in Thunder Bay in 1981, he claimed gold in the 3000m and silver in the 1500m events. More provincial titles were claimed in 1980 at the Ontario Juvenile Indoor Championships with a 1st in the 800m. His gold medal performance in the 1500m with a time of 3:50:3 ranked him the fastest for the season by a high school runner in North America.

 

Competing at National Cross Country Championships from 1978-81, he was named to the national cross country team in 1978 and in 1980 won the 1500m event at the National Junior Indoor Championships. Attending the University of Minnesota on a running scholarship from 1981-83, he helped his team qualify for the NCAA Cross Country championships in his freshman year.

 

Earning his teaching degree from Lakehead University, Dallas has served as a physical education teacher at Nipigon-Red Rock District High School for the past 11 years, coaching a number of teams, and currently heading up the long-distance running team. An organizer and participant in the Paju Mountain Run his involvement in the sport of long distance running has spanned three decades, and no doubt will continue for years to come.

 

Inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, September 25, 1999