NNSL (DEC 20/96) - Dave Hurley is arguably the most important sports figure in the history of the NWT.

Hurley was instrumental in the formation of the Sport North Federation in the mid-1970s and is responsible for the make-up of the organization as it stands today.

His tenure as director of Sport North officially ended in October and the book on the Hurley era closed two weeks ago when Chris Bergman was named as his replacement.

However, Hurley leaves behind a novel's worth of accomplishments behind as he moves to Napanee, Ont., next month.

A native of Placentia, Nfld., Hurley first came to the North in 1975 to work as a physical education teacher in Fort Simpson. Two years later he moved to Iqaluit to take a posting as recreation director. He settled in Yellowknife in 1979 to run Sport North.

Al Smith of Inuvik technically became the first Sport North boss in 1975 but the federation didn't take the shape it has today until four years later.

Regardless, Hurley --then track and field president -- was there from the start. He was named first vice-president after the 1975 talks -- initiated by the territorial government.

"In those days, sports bodies used to apply for funding to a Sport Federation group who then went to the government for grants.

But our group of 12 sports organizations didn't want the middle man. We wanted the Sport Federation to make the final decisions, not the government. We wanted to let sport govern itself."

When Hurley assumed the director's mantle in 1979, things really began to take off. The famously-successful Sport North lottery was created which became the major source of sport funding. The 1980s were a period of dramatic growth in Northern Sport as facilities sprung up like weeds, throughout the territories.

In those embryonic days, Hurley's staff consisted of himself and a secretary -- who occupied a tiny office in the Lange building. Since then the staff has mushroomed to 17 people who work in a spacious office located in the Centre Square Mall.

Today there are approximately 20,000 members in Sport North -- almost a third of the population.

It's not the accomplishments that stand out in Hurley's mind --it's the athletes and competitions.

"I loved watching the athletes develop and come back as coaches and volunteers. I also loved the Arctic Winter Games. Actually, the best part was the territorial trials. It was the one time, every two years, when athletes from across the North got together," he said.

"I'd see them off at the airport and they didn't care if they won or lost. It was just getting out of their communities. They'd smile and say `See you in two years.' "That's the part I'll miss the most, being part of something that brought Northerners together."

Hurley has attended 10 Arctic Winter Games since 1978 and says his favourite memory came in 1992, when the NWT won their first Hodgson sportsmanship trophy.

"It took us a while but it showed we'd come a long way."

After nearly a decade as Sport North director, Hurley walks away with no regrets.

"I had the best job in the world. If I wasn't working there, I'd still be volunteering in sport." Hurley said.

"I was lucky I got paid for something I loved to do."