Athlete - Basketball
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017
Donnie Ehler (’83) entered Acadia and joined the basketball Axemen in the fall of 1978. During the next five years, few players were better displaying a skill set they brought to the court than Ehler. His shooting/scoring touch, steady play, and consistently accurate free-throw shooting would become his trademark.
In his first year, Donnie got into 17 of 18 regular-season games, shooting 47 percent from the floor and 81 percent from the foul line. On a 1979-1980 Axemen team that featured a pair of first-team all-Canadians in CIAU Player of the Year Mike Hazard and Ted Upshaw, Donnie improved his scoring to 13 points per game.
Ehler came into his own in 1980-81, improving his points per game average to 19 with a 50 percent field goal percentage. That year the Axemen set a new school and conference record with 19 wins in a 20-game regular season and averaged a CIAU record 101 points per game as a team.
Acadia held the number-one ranking in Canada for most of the year and, after an upset 96-95 overtime loss to St. FX in the conference final, received a wildcard berth to the CIAU tournament. On the national stage, the Axemen scored wins over Waterloo (95-89) and St. FX (102-96) before a tough 81-70 loss to Victoria in the national final.
Ehler was a bright light in a challenging 1981-82 season, turning in not only the finest campaign in his Acadia career but also one of the most outstanding in conference history.
He led the AUAA with a 29 points per game average and 88 percent free throw percentage. Donnie's 522 points, achieved without the benefit of a three-point line, came within two of breaking the AUAA single-season record of 524 set by teammate Ted Upshaw the previous year. He was rewarded for his accomplishments with a berth on the second all-conference team.
Donnie returned to Acadia in 1982-1983 and finished with a 22 points per game average, second in the conference. He capped his career with a first-team all-conference selection.
The 328 points he scored in his final season allowed Donnie to finish his career with 1,537 regular-season points, good at the time for second among Acadia players. Today, 34 years later, he is still tied for fifth in AUS single-season scoring and 15th in career points.
After graduation, Donnie had two tryouts for Canada's senior national team. He considers his national team tryouts, along with playing in the 1981 CIAU final, the highlights of his basketball career.
After leaving Acadia, Donnie remained involved in his chosen sport, playing senior basketball, coaching minor ball, and serving a term as executive director of Basketball Nova Scotia.