Joe Wiwchar
Joe Wiwchar was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and has devoted over seven decades to working in baseball in Canada, and in his home province of Manitoba. Wiwchar has been involved in every aspect of baseball, including as a player, coach, umpire, volunteer, executive, and administrator. He has worked in the local, provincial, national, and international levels, and has received many honours and awards, and won several medals and titles over his career. His latest honour is his induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on June 17, 2023.
Wiwchar donated several items to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, from both his local and provincial coaching career.
Wiwchar coached the Morden Mohawks for 28 years. This red jacket and white jersey were both part of his uniform when he was a coach.
As their coach, Wiwchar led the Morden Mohawks to twelve league championships over an 18 year period.
In 2008, the 1987-1992 Morden Mohawks were inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame.
In addition to winning championships with the Morden Mohawks, Wiwchar won several other titles and awards over his seven-decade baseball career.
Wiwchar was an assistant coach for Manitoba’s provincial baseball team which won the silver medal at the 1977 Canada Summer Games. The same year, Wiwchar was the head coach of the provincial Bisons team which won the 1977 Western Canada championship and finished third at Nationals. Wiwchar then led the Manitoba Bisons to provincial and national championship titles in 1981 and 1986.
After his 1981 championship, Wiwchar was granted The Order of Sport Excellence in recognition of his coaching work by the Department of Fitness, Recreation, and Sport in the Province of Manitoba. This provincial department was established in 1978 and existed until 1982, when it merged with the province’s culture department to create the Department of Culture, Heritage, and Recreation.
Wiwchar donated his certificate and medal pictured here to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in April 2023.
Below is part of Wiwchar’s uniform from his time as a coach for Team Manitoba, including a sleeveless jersey and a mock-neck long-sleeved undershirt, both marked with a yellow “M”.
