CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Two more members of the Island’s rugby scene go into the P.E.I. Rugby Union Hall of Fame as Eddie MacDonald and David Voye, posthumously, get the call for 2019.
MacDonald, who coaches the P.E.I. Mudmen rugby club, and Voye, former Three Oaks Axemen head coach, were inducted Friday.
The Hall opened its initial year last year by inducting Shannon Atkins, Darryl Boudreau, Natalie Bulger, Mike Lloyd, Ray Moore, George Woodhead and the 1955 Charlottetown Nomads.
Eddie MacDonald
The current coach of the P.E.I. Mudmen rugby club has had an amazing rugby career fuelled by his love and passion for the game.
MacDonald started at a young age and spent most of his games in the front row, where former teammates still say he was one of the best scrummers they’ve ever played with.
While with the Abbies, MacDonald began his coaching career. His love and knowledge of the game instilled a life-long love and passion for many young UPEI Panthers who continued to play at the senior level all across the country.
It was also during this time, Eddie was working with the board of the P.E.I. Rugby Union. He helped new teams get off the ground and ensured rugby developed and moved forward at all levels.
After a brief hiatus from coaching, Eddie approached the Mudmen where he helped develop a multi-championship club including the division A and B squads winning sweeping last year’s Nova Scotia championships and in the same year the A side winning P.E.I.’s first Caledonia Cup, the Maritime championship, since 1955.
David Voye (posthumously)
Voye played his junior high high school rugby Rothesay Collegiate School in New Brunswick from 1968-72 before moving on to university rugby with the Acadia RFC.
As one of the co-founders of the Three Oaks High School rugby program, Voye had a huge impact and is remembered for spreading his intense passion for the sport to all the athletes he coached.
Voye led Three Oaks until his death in 1996, competing in several AA provincial finals before breaking through in 1993 to win the AA title.
In the spring of 1997, Three Oaks hosted the first David R. Voye memorial rugby tournament to honour the school’s former music director and rugby coach.
It’s a tournament which has grown over the past two decades plus years, drawing high school programs from across the Maritimes.
