David
Tweedley

David Tweedley was an outstanding contributor to volleyball in this country as an athlete, coach and builder and was one of the great pioneers of volleyball in Canada.

Predominantly a basketball player, David Tweedley was introduced to volleyball at Chicago’s George Williams College in 1954 by a few friends who played on the varsity program. One year later, the Thunder Bay native was on the Junior Varsity Team and in May 1955 was selected to manage the Varsity Team from George Williams that participated in the U.S. National Championships Open and Intercollegiate Divisions in Oklahoma City. In 1957 David was named an All-American while playing with George Williams while finishing second in the US National Championships in Memphis Tennessee – the first Canadian volleyball player to be named an All-American. David would go on to represent Canada at the 1959 and 1963 Pan American Games as a player and coach.

After graduating from College, David joined the staff of the Toronto Central YMCA in 1959 where he worked under the leadership of Don MacGregor, an Ontario Volleyball Association Hall of Fame inductee. Still a hot commodity in the sport upon his return home to Canada, David was invited to manage, coach, and play for Canada in the Pan American Games in Chicago. He continued to play with the Estonian and Latvian teams that practiced out of his YMCA, attending tournaments and competitions where he would receive All-star accolades. In 1963 and 1967, he was also invited to play for the Canadian Team in the Pan American Cup in Brazil and Manitoba.

In 1965, David would move on from the YMCA to the Balmy Beach Club where he was influential in growing the development of volleyball both indoors and on the beach. David led numerous Balmy Beach teams to the indoor Canadian Championships from 1966-1970, taking home multiple awards including the silver medal twice! His move to Balmy Beach was also pivotal in the development of the beach discipline while collaborating with his fellow inductee Bob Wright.

On top of his prestigious playing career, David was appointed and served as secretary for the Canadian Volleyball Association from 1958-1963. In the 60’s David also assisted with the administrative development of the Ontario Volleyball Association. David’s knowledge of the game made him a great referee, achieving International Level Certification and officiating matches from high school to international events. He was also a very successful coach as he led the Ontario Junior Men’s Team to a bronze medal at the Canada Winter Games in 1967 and served as a guest clinician at many athlete development clinics across Canada.

David was also instrumental in the CVA’s adoption of international playing rules after long debates of playing with the American rules or FIVB rules. That would set the standard for the rules of the game in Canada.

David Tweedley was previously inducted into the Ontario Volleyball Association Hall of Fame. For all that David contribute in his career to build the Foundation of the sport of volleyball and for representing Canada internationally, we are grateful. David passed away in November 2021, but his legacy lives on.

David was inducted into the Ontario Volleyball Hall of Fame before his passing on November 30, 202. Without question David Tweedley has made extraordinary contributions to the sport of volleyball in Canada and is very deserving of being inducted as a member of the Volleyball Canada Hall of Fame.