Bob Marchand, a pillar of Windsor and Essex County baseball for more than 30 years, has been one of the guiding hands of the Windsor Selects program since its inception, and has seen more than 100 of his diamond protégés move on to the U.S. college and/or professional ranks.

Born and raised in Windsor, Bob was a multi-talented sports star in his own right, earning All-City honours in both football and hockey while attending Assumption College Catholic High School. After graduating from the University of Windsor, Bob began teaching with the Greater Essex County District School Board and quickly turned his love of sport into a coaching career that has now spanned more than 50 years. Bob coached junior and senior football at W.D. Lowe Secondary and then at Vincent Massey Secondary School, where he also started the school’s first baseball team as well as led the Mustangs to two WSSA hockey championships.

It has been through local baseball, however, where Bob has made his greatest impact on the local sports community, particularly with the Windsor Selects program he has either managed or helped coach since 1984. With his assistance, the Selects have won numerous OBA championships, played in just as many Canadian national championships and won the 1985 and 1987 national titles in the Under 17 class. Bob has also worked with the area’s other storied baseball program, the Riverside Royals, overseeing that club’s bantam teams in the Canadian bantam championships in 2004 and 2005. Bob’s knowledge and eye for talent, honed as a scout for the Atlanta Braves, along with his capacity to maximize his players’ abilities, has helped more than 100 local ballplayers obtain U.S. scholarships. Eleven of these players have been drafted by Major League Baseball, including fellow WECSHOF inductee Stubby Clapp.

Arguably one of the most dedicated coaches and teachers in the history of Windsor and Essex County baseball, Bob Marchand takes his well-deserved place in the Windsor / Essex Sports Hall of Fame in the Builder category.