SASK’S KEVIN DICKIE RETIRES AT ACADIA
(Wolfville, NS) — Acadia University announced today the retirement of Kevin Dickie as the Executive Director of Acadia Athletics. Dickie has enjoyed a 34-year career in sport as a coach and administrator, including thirteen years at the Wolfville, Nova Scotia campus.
In a community where university sport is the big game in town, the Acadia program’s culture has been a source of pride for the campus, alumni, and fans and has focused on a student-athlete-centred vision by ensuring stability in staffing and coaching.
“Kevin’s exceptional leadership has resulted in producing one of the finest athletics programs in Canada. Since becoming our Athletics Director in 2011, our teams have become successful in every sport. We have increased the number of student-athletes achieving Academic All-Canadian recognition by almost 50%. Kevin and his team of professional coaches and support staff have delivered exceptional results,” said Chris Callbeck, Vice-President of Finance and Administration and CFO
“Acadia also has been selected to host four national championships in a row in part because of his work and reputation at the national level in university sport. Kevin has been and continues to be a role model for coaches, support staff, alumni, colleagues, and thousands of student-athletes. It has been an honour and privilege working closely with Kevin over the years, and I cannot thank him enough for everything he has done for Acadia,” added Callbeck.
Dickie, along with his wife Cindy and sons Riley and Brett, first arrived in Wolfville in 1997 as head coach of the Acadia Axemen hockey program. During Dickie’s three seasons at Acadia, he led the Axemen to three consecutive Atlantic University hockey conference finals and a silver medal at the 1998 CIS Men’s Hockey National Championships.
During Dickie’s successful coaching career, he held an assistant coach position with Canada’s World Junior team in 2000-2001 and Canada’s Under 18 National team in 1999. In 2014, Kevin was inducted into the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League Hall of Fame.
“When we left Acadia in 2000 to return to Major Junior hockey and continue my coaching path, I always felt we left a piece of us here in the Annapolis Valley,” said Dickie. “To have the opportunity to return to this amazing school and community as athletic director has been incredibly special. It’s surreal looking back.”
In 2011, Dickie returned as the seventh athletic director Acadia’s long history. “I can’t explain how appreciative I am of the senior administrators I’ve reported to for the past ten years. I come to work every day with a staff and coaches that are such great people and friends. And then to say hi or talk daily with our student-athletes, that has kept me young. The people are what I’m going to miss more than anything.”
In his ten years at the helm as athletics director, Acadia Athletics has hosted an unprecedented four consecutive U SPORTS national championships and boasted many national Top-10 teams and awards, a 77% increase to the cumulative team winning percentage, and eleven AUS championship titles. During his tenure, Dickie also served terms as both a U SPORTS board director and Atlantic University Sport president.
Under Dickie’s leadership, academic achievement has become a hallmark for the program. In 2019, Acadia celebrated 122 Academic All-Canadians – the highest number in school history. During the past decade, Acadia’s academic achievements have also included four U SPORTS BLG nominees, two AUS James Bayer Award winners, and four consecutive U SPORTS Top 8 Academic All-Canadians.
“If you’d have told me as a young 23-year-old, I was going to spend the next 34 years of my life with a job in sports, well, it was my goal and my dream, but I’m not sure I’d have believed it. I tell people all the time, I’ve got the best job in the world, and I’m excited about the years ahead. Cindy and our boys have allowed me to chase so many opportunities. I just feel incredibly blessed,” said Dickie. Kevin and his wife Cindy intend to remain in the Wolfville community.
While Dickie will step down from his role in Athletics after the U SPORTS Annual General Meeting in June 2021 , Acadia University is pleased he will remain on campus through March 2022 to continue his Destination Acadia role. A national search for Athletic Director will begin this spring.
