Coleen Dufresne, one of the province's greatest influences on university sports, received another immense honour last month as she was inducted into the Canada West Hall of Fame.

"I have so much respect for the people, the coaches, the administrators and the staff that work in Canada West universities, because they are the leaders in the country. For them to recognize what I did as a coach is humbling and I'm thrilled by it," says Dufresne.

"I'm tickled by it to have been recognized for what I did for 25 years of my life as a coach but 17 at Manitoba. I'm very honoured and thrilled. I think it speaks to the athletes and the staff that we had working with me. I didn't do this alone. You've got to have players and you've got to have staff that are committed to and have the same vision that you do as a head coach."

Dufresne – who had an accomplished career as a basketball player that included representing Canada at the 1976 Olympics – started her coaching career at the University of New Brunswick in 1980.

The U SPORTS Coach of the Year in 1982-83, she attracted the attention of then Bisons Athletic Director Joyce Fromson – a fellow Canada West Hall of Fame inductee who was also the first woman in North America to be hired as a Sports Information Director.

Fromson brought Dufresne into the fold in 1984 and together the two helped advocate for females in sport.

"She was ahead of her time. She was so pro-women and did so much for women in sport," Dufresne says of her long-time colleague.

"She recruited me to Manitoba and did everything she could to make sure that we were successful. I was the first full-time head coach of women's basketball at the U of M. Joyce did that, and she was committed to bringing in full-time coaches and to trying to get women to coach in the program. She was wonderful."

Under Dufresne's watch, Manitoba made the playoffs for 17 consecutive seasons, winning national championships in 1987-88, 1995-96 and 1996-97.

She noted that having a winning mindset and mentality and working for it were keys to her team's success, especially with the U of M's first-ever title which was achieved just four years into her tenure.

The support of the player's families also stood out, as they decorated the locker room and brought signs to show their excitement.  

"There was a change in attitude and a change in expectation. I think that was a big difference, where the players felt as I did, that if we do this right and we work hard, we can be successful and successful to us means a national championship. They bought into that and believed in that," says Dufresne.

"These kids worked hard. We brought in a strength and conditioning coach – Terry Hadlow worked with us – and at that time, not too many people were doing that. These kids were in the weight room doing everything and they were doing individuals working on their skill. They really worked hard."

Manitoba's back-to-back championship seasons from 1996-97, as well as trips to the final in 1995 and 1998 understandably also hold a special place in Dufresne's heart.

"That was a darn special team. We had fabulous athletes and women at the time. We had incredible talent. I remember going to nationals and after the first round looking at the staff and saying hey, there's not a team here that can beat us. We had great, great athletes who played together and loved each other and worked hard. Those 1995-96 and 1996-97 teams were super talented and the years after and before were very strong too."

Over the years, Dufresne did an excellent job of listening to her players while also giving them the flexibility to be themselves on the court. This was evident by her U SPORTS Coach of the Year acknowledgment in multiple decades.

"I think as a coach, you have to use the talent that these athletes have. If you restrict them, then you're not going to have the best team that you can. It's about identifying what their talent is and seeing how it fits in the system that you're using, or you change your system to allow them to be them," she noted.

"Some players are stronger at one-on-one, some are great passers, some are better at the running game and advantage situations. If you can identify that I think you're going to have more success, and they're going to have more fun.

Our style of game was pressure defence, which caused a lot of turnovers and layups. We ran a lot and were a transition team, so kids who wanted to play that style of game were going to come and play for us. I wasn't going to start slowing it down, that was not my style and it wasn't theirs either. I hope I listened to them and took advantage of their strengths."

Dufresne's legacy at the U of M has also been felt as an administrator. She was Manitoba's Athletic Director for 15 seasons, starting in 2001 and once again was quick to credit Fromson for helping her develop into the role while she was still a coach.

"[Fromson] encouraged me a lot administratively. I enjoyed that part of the job and she encouraged me to get involved with GPAC administratively and then Canada West. I credit her with allowing me to allow to do that. She was just a wonderful woman. She worked so hard to try to make things better for coaches in a permanent way. I can't say enough good things about her."

As Athletic Director, Dufresne oversaw the addition of Bisons women's as a full-time program, while also growing the support system for coaches. She was also at the helm when four different U of M teams won national titles.

"At the time I thought we were taking steps to keep pace and if not lead in some areas. Our coaches weren't shy about telling you what they need and I felt that we always had a good relationship. They knew that having been a coach for as long as I was, I knew where they were coming from and that I would everything I could to help."