Matt Baldwin
Curling Athlete — Inducted 1980
Matt Baldwin was one of Canada’s most respected curlers and innovators of the modern game, earning national recognition for both his championship success and his technical influence on curling delivery techniques.
While attending the University of Alberta, Baldwin won two Canadian University Curling Championships, establishing himself early as one of the country’s most promising competitors. Throughout his career, he achieved consistent success in major bonspiels across Western Canada, including victories in numerous events and a prestigious carspiel championship. He was also a three-time Grand Aggregate Champion at the Northern Alberta Curling Association Bonspiel in Edmonton.
Baldwin’s rinks captured seven Northern Alberta Championships, leading to appearances at the Canadian Men’s Curling Championship (the Brier), where he won national titles in 1954, 1957, and 1958. Known as one of Canada’s premier shot-makers, Baldwin gained international recognition for perfecting the controlled “long-slide” delivery, a technique that influenced generations of curlers and became widely adopted throughout the sport.
After Induction
Following his competitive career, Matt Baldwin remained deeply involved in sport and community leadership in Alberta. He served ten years on the executive of the Edmonton Eskimos Football Club and contributed to several charitable organizations involved in the formation and development of United Way initiatives in Edmonton.
His achievements in curling continued to be recognized nationally and provincially through multiple Hall of Fame inductions celebrating both his athletic accomplishments and his lasting influence on the sport.
Matt Baldwin passed away on April 8, 2023, at the age of 96.
Awards and Honours
- Three-Time Brier Champion — Canadian Men’s Curling Championship
(1954, 1957, 1958) - Seven-Time Northern Alberta Champion
- Two-Time Canadian University Curling Champion — University of Alberta
- 1973 — Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
- Canadian Curling Hall of Fame Inductee
- Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
- 1994 — University of Alberta Sports Wall of Fame
- 1980 — Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
Career Highlights
- Developed and popularized the controlled “long-slide” delivery technique
- One of Canada’s most accurate shot-makers during the 1950s curling era
- Multiple bonspiel and aggregate championship victories across Western Canada
