Inducted in 2024 Category: Builder
Sharon Rajaraman has been the heart of Saint Mary’s Huskies field hockey for over 30 years. The list of Sharon’s accomplishments and contributions to Atlantic Canadian field hockey and Saint Mary’s sports is long. But what that list doesn’t include are the countless lives touched.
A native of Halifax, Sharon’s own field hockey journey began at Dalhousie, where she was a decorated Varsity women’s field hockey athlete, earning All-Star status at both AUAA and CIAU and being named team MVP. She also represented Nova Scotia at numerous National tournaments and was named to the Team Canada Women’s Field Hockey National squad in 1982 and 1983.
After graduating in 1985 with a Bachelor of Recreation Degree, Sharon was appointed as an assistant field hockey coach at Dalhousie before being recruited by Saint Mary’s in 1987. Her part-time position became full-time in 1992, and Sharon has been with the Huskies ever since.
Over her 32 seasons coaching at Saint Mary’s, Sharon has led the Huskies to nine Atlantic league championships, and a coveted bronze medal at the 2003 CIS Field Hockey Championships. She has been named Atlantic Coach of the Year five times, and won the 2010 Marina Van Der Merwe Award as CIS Coach of the Year.
Over the years, Sharon’s achievements weren’t all on the field. She and her husband, Dr. Mal Rajaraman, a radiation oncologist, raised three sons, all of whom went to Saint Mary’s, with two of the three playing soccer for the Huskies. She also had a critical role in successfully building a 16-team indoor league at the high school level in Nova Scotia and has coached at the national level, working with the Canadian team at the Indoor Masters World Cup in Hong Kong in 2019. In addition, she has extended her talents to Field Hockey Nova Scotia, acting as their President and the AUFH (Atlantic University Field Hockey) as their League Chair for many years.
After 32 years, Saint Mary’s has become a kind of second home to Sharon. She lives just a few blocks from the school, knows someone in every department, and each year recruits members of her team to volunteer their time at charity events such as the Run for the Cure and the annual Blue Butterfly fundraiser for thyroid cancer. Through her example, she has taught Saint Mary’s students the value of volunteering and the importance of giving back.
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