LEE TREMPE

Category: Coach
Sport: Women's Hockey & Women's Fastball
Institution: Seneca College
Inducted: 2013

Lee Trempe began her college coaching career at Seneca in 1979-80 when she took over the reigns of the Seneca Wampums women's hockey team. She immediately led the team to the OCAA championship title, and followed this up with three more provincial gold medals, two silvers and two bronzes, a medal year she coached.

Trempe quickly established a high standard for her athletes in the classroom and on and off the ice. Discipline and hard work characterized her approach and her demands quickly pushed her student-athletes to new heights. A very demonstrative coach, Lee had no problem getting her point across to her players.

Lee had a unique way of getting the athletes to see things "her way". She took a strong defenceman with some goaltending background and convinced her to play goalie. That player, Debbie Coxworth, set an OCAA record for most shutouts in a season (10) in 1984-85. Trempe convinced a very headstrong, high scoring forward to play defence. That defender, Angela James, set an OCAA scoring record, not to mention eventual enshrinement in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Both athletes are also members of the OCAA Hall of Fame.

Lee also teamed up with Cliff Dunkeld to coach the Seneca Scouts women's fastball teams for two years before taking over the leadership of the team.