Allen Tait honored as 2025 SABR Founders’ Day Award recipient
AUGUST 14, 2025 — Allen Tait of Grimsby, Ontario, was recognized as the recipient of the 2025 SABR Founders’ Day Award, which recognizes a member who has contributed significant or enduring service as a leader of a regional chapter or research committee.
Tait, a SABR member since 1976, took over as president of the Southern Ontario-based Hanlan’s Point Chapter in 2005, following the SABR 35 convention in Toronto, and has served in a leadership role for the past two decades.
“I feel honored and this means a lot to me,” Tait said. “But there is no ‘I’ in team. I have a very strong team that helps keep me going. … Everyone on that team means a lot to me and does a lot for SABR.”
In 2006, the Toronto chapter took part in a fundraising effort to establish a historic plaque at Hanlan’s Point on the Toronto Islands to honor the location where Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in 1914. Other chapter highlights include the organizing of a vintage baseball game in Beachville, Ontario, site of the first detailed recording of a baseball game played in Canada in 1838, and the strengthening of support between the chapter and the Centre for Canadian Baseball Research, which holds an annual baseball history conference. In 2022, the chapter led efforts to publish two SABR Digital Library books related to baseball in Canada, Our Game Too: Influential Figures and Milestones in Canadian Baseball and We Are, We Can, We Will: the 1992 World Champion Toronto Blue Jays.
“The chapter may well have ceased to exist without Allen’s participation,” said chapter secretary Elena North. “On behalf of the chapter, thank you for your years of selfless service.”
Click here to learn more about the Founders’ Day Award.
Originally published: August 14, 2025. Last Updated: August 14, 2025.