Fr. Dan R. "Dempsey" Chisholm – Speed, Strength, and Seminary

The Ohio Valley was truly one of Antigonish County’s pioneer settlements. From the hills of the Keppoch and the Morvan district, down to the Ohio Valley came Scottish and Irish settlers, who cleared the forest to make a home for their families and descendants. On one of those farms lived Alexander and Mary Chisolm and their family. Alexander George Chisholm of Saltsprings and Mary Gillis of Pinevale were married in 1898 and raised a family of 5 sons and 3 daughters in the Ohio. Their eldest son was Daniel Roderick, born in 1899. Dan attended the Morvan school and worked hard in his youth. In 1919, he began studying telegraphy, and in 1922 made his way to St. Francis Xavier High School in Antigonish. After completing high school, Dan pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree at StFX, which he achieved in 1927. He then entered St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto, and was ordained to the priesthood in May 1931.

During his years at StFX, Dan became a noted athlete. He was nicknamed Dempsey after the outstanding heavyweight champion, Jack Dempsey. Jack Dempsey was a cultural icon of the 1920s, the decade during which he was at the peak of his career. Dan Chisholm’s most notable years on the track took place during the same decade; they were both champions at that time.

  

Dan R. Chisholm in his StFX days (left, with his trophies, and right, with "Strangler" Lewis)
(Antigonish Heritage Museum)

Here in Antigonish, and on the many fields on which he competed, Father Dempsey was an inspiring athlete. He was perhaps the most outstanding sprinter and hammer throwers in the history of the Antigonish Highland Games, making his debut there in 1923 after great success at the St FX track meet the year before. At his first Games, Dempsey won the 440 yard and 880 yard runs, and came second in the hammer throw; he would never lose again in his years competing in Antigonish. He similarly dominated the competition at events in Sydney, Charlottetown, Amherst, and elsewhere in the Maritimes.

One of his most memorable competitions took place in Margaree in 1926. In front of a crowd of 2,000 people, he won the hammer throw. Coming second was his brother, Jimmy Chisholm, and in third place was Fr. Moses Coady, who was to shortly become director of the Extension Department at StFX.

In 1927, Dempsey set a Canadian record for the 16 lb. hammer at the trials for the 1928 Olympics in Toronto. He was invited to join the Canadian team, but declined in order to pursue his seminary studies. While in Toronto, he also declined an offer to join the Toronto Police Force.

Dempsey’s hammer throwing record from the 1928 Antigonish Highland Games, which he set when he was home from the seminary for the summer, remained on the books for 40 years. On the track, Dempsey’s record was equally impressive. At six feet tall and weighing over 200 lbs., he was a big man to be a sprinter, but his times for the 100 yard, 220 yard, and 440 yard dash were comparable to times being achieved by athletes half a century later.

Fr. Dempsey Chisholm retained an impressive physique even after his initial retirement from the hammer throwing circuit (Antigonish Heritage Museum)

Though he had retired from competition when he became a priest, Fr. Demspey was tempted to participate in an exhibition throw in 1946. He removed his jacket and his Roman collar, and threw the hammer 17 feet further than the winning competitor! Two years later, he returned to competition at 49 years of age. Twenty years after winning his last Canadian championship and setting a new hammer throw record, he regained his championship title. He retired once and for all after that. 

Given his many contributions to the success of the Antigonish Highland Games in his youth, it was fitting that Fr. Dempsey be invited to officially open the 96^th running of the Games in 1959. It proved to be one of the most successful years in the history of the Games; new enthusiasm was evident, as thousands flocked to Columbus Field. Later on opening day, Fr. Dempsey once again removed his jacked and collar and threw the hammer for old time’s sake: the result was a throw of 117 feet, several feet further than the best competitor. He was 60 years of age.

Fr. Dan R. "Dempsey" Chisholm (right) with his namesake, boxer Jack Dempsey
(Antigonish Heritage Museum)

Fr. Dempsey once observed that record are made to be broken, and intimated shortly before his death that he had his eye on a young Nova Scotia athlete who he thought could be the one to break his 1928 record. Some speculated that the athlete in question was either Hugh McCarron of Big Jim Sears. Neither was able to beat Fr. Dempsey’s record, however, which was finally broken by an outstanding American thrower in 1968.

In his last days, Fr. Dempsey said “there was satisfaction and honour to success, although there was graciousness in rare defeat. Now there was only gratitude for opportunity in human endeavour. But, alas, opportunity and a vocation that led to the Final Victory.”

Fr. Dempsey Chisholm died in 1964, but is still warmly remembered by the people of the Ohio and the wider county, and particularly by those who remember his outstanding athleticism. He was later inducted into the St FX Sports Hall of Fame, the Antigonish Highland Games Hall of Fame, and the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame.

Submitted by Bill Kiely