CORNWALL, Ontario – Coach Joe Sanborn, 85, made an impact on the lives of many of his former basketball players. On Saturday, Oct. 27, a group of them gathered together for a surprise reunion.
Sanborn, who turned 85 in June, originally grew up in the state of Maine. After high school, he was drafted in the U.S. Army where he was stationed in Austria. After serving two years for his country, Sanborn attended St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia where he met his wife. Sanborn was a decorated athlete in various sports during high school and university. After graduating, Sanborn and his wife moved around Canada and Maine, until he was offered a teaching job at CCVS in Cornwall.
From 1963 to 1981, Sanborn coached basketball to high school students. Students from his first year of coaching attended the reunion, and some travelled from as far as the state of Georgia and B.C.
“It was so wonderful to be here with you today and share these stories,” said Sanborn, celebrated coach, to his former players. “You guys did something right along the line, all of you…I am so rewarded from the fact that I came across you people.”
During the reunion, heartfelt speeches were made. Many players emotionally expressed their gratitude towards Sanborn, recounting how he taught them many essential life skills and believed in each of them.
Stephanie Sanborn, Joe’s daughter, and former player Robert Taylor were the masterminds behind the surprise reunion. Taylor took it upon himself to research, find and contact the former players and was feeling ecstatic that he could finally host the anticipated reunion.
