The P.E.I. Rugby Union (PEIRU) wants a lasting legacy to Island rugby and to that end it’s inducting six members into its new Hall of Fame.
The ceremony is part of the PEIRU’s annual awards which go Saturday, Jan. 27, 5-9 p.m., at the Charlottetown Fire Hall.
The inaugural class includes Shannon Atkins, Darryl Boudreau, Natalie Bulger, Mike Lloyd, Ray Moore and George Woodhead (posthumously).
This is the second of six profiles provided by the union on the inductees.
Mike Lloyd
Lloyd started his career as a player at high school in Montreal in the early 1970s then honed his skills at UNB and with the Fredericton Exiles in the mid to late-70s. His playing career took him across Canada and to Australia.
Lloyd’s Island journey began in the late 70s when he joined a generation of P.E.I. rugby enthusiasts who were kickstarting the sport on P.E.I. after a slow period from the mid-1950s to mid-70s. His incredible passion for the sport led him to have an immense impact on the game.
As a player/coach he led the P.E.I. representative senior men’s teams throughout the 1980s and 90s. Then as a coach throughout the 80s he consistently took P.E.I. age-grade teams to the national championships. He later took on coaching with the men’s and women’s teams at UPEI.
As an administrator he is a former president of the P.E.I. Rugby Union (PEIRU), however, it is at the high school level where Lloyd would have the most profound impact on the game.
He founded the current P.E.I. high school competition in the mid-80’s and went on to be the commissioner for eight years. He was the director of the Charlottetown rural rugby program for over 30 years. He literally wrote the (rule) book on P.E.I. high school rugby.
There is hardly a player, coach, referee or administrator today of any age on the Island who has not been affected by his contributions over 39 years as a player, coach, administrator, organizer and motivator.
Everyone who steps on a PEI pitch owes a little something to Mike Lloyd.
