Brad Rienguette is arguably the last of the truly dominant fastball pitchers to come out of Sudbury. While the likes of Metro Szeryk, Ezio Bevilacqua and Booker Thomas all helped put this region on the map in the sport in the late 1950s and 1960s, Rienguette was “The Man” some 20 years later, leading teams of all sorts to nine provincial titles and a pair of world championships. Over the course of his career, he would throw a total of 12 no-hitters and in 17 other outings, limited opposing teams to just one hit. At a time when fastball pitchers were effectively hired guns, Rienguette would travel from northern Ontario to compete in Newfoundland, Saginaw, St. Catharines, Kimberly (Wisconsin) and Tulsa (Oklahoma). A true ambassador for the sport of fastball, Rienguette lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in September of 2009 at the age of 50. He was represented at the 2026 Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame Dinner by his brother, Teddy.
Notable Highlights:
When he was not pitching fastball as an adult, Brad was a transport driver who enjoyed making new friends in his travels. While his is most well-known for his excellence on the mound, Rienguette was also quite adept at track & field, basketball, football, gymnastics and broomball. Such was his impact in the communities in which he pitched that he was gifted a Special Achievement Award by the towns of both Elliot Lake and Owen Sound.