Ward Collyer was born in Crandall, MB in 1924. He was an orthodox pitcher with blinding speed who played for several championship teams in Brandon and district in the late 1940s including the Canadian Order of Foresters, Anglo Canadian Oil, and Scorys Hairdressers. Collyer was selected to Brandon all-star teams many times during his career. In 1955, he pitched for the Brandon Army Navy and Air Force Veterans that represented Manitoba in the Western Canadian Championship.