By Canadian Press

Dennis Fairall, who built a track dynasty with the Windsor Lancers, dies at 67

Nov 6, 2020 | 2:06 PM

Dennis Fairall, a decorated track coach who built the Windsor Lancers into a Canadian varsity powerhouse, has died. He was 67.

The University of Windsor confirmed Fairall’s death Friday. He had been battling progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare degenerative brain disease that slowly affected his mobility and speech.

Fairall was also the longtime coach of star Canadian 800-metre runner Melissa Bishop-Nriagu.

The coach known as “Big Dawg” was head coach of Windsor’s cross country and track and field programs from 1985 until his retirement in 2015. 

Fairall led the Lancers to 25 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (now U Sports) championships, 46 Ontario University Athletics titles, and was named track or cross-country coach of the year 65 times in either CIS or OUA.

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The Lancers had won 22 of the past 25 provincial championships in men’s track and field, and 17 of the past 25 provincial championships in women’s track and field, leading into his retirement.

Windsor renamed its fieldhouse to the Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse in 2016.

Fairall coached Bishop-Nriagu to silver in the women’s 800 meters at the 2015 world championships and gold in the discipline at the 2015Pan-American Games.

“Dennis Fairall was a special person,” Windsor director of athletics Mike Havey told the school’s website. “His record of accomplishment put the University of Windsor and the Lancers track and field and cross country programs on the map. But that was not what made him special. He was a humble and incredibly effective team builder and collaborator.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2020.

The Canadian Press