Hall of Fame 2014 Inductees

ATHLETES

Bill Bradley (Lacrosse)
Bill Bradley joined the Coquitlam Adanacs in their inaugural season in 1965 and quickly established himself as one of the go-to players on a roster some considered to be boxla castoffs. With Bradley’s defensive prowess setting the tone, the players proved everyone wrong by establishing the Adanacs brand as one to be feared. In just its second season, Coquitlam would top the Inter-City league.

Despite a reputation as a defensive pillar and physical force, Bradley would go on to accumulate 376 goals and 561 assists over 498 senior lacrosse games with various clubs. In Coquitlam, he posted 641 points in 295 games, putting him seventh among all-time Adanac scorers. A seven-time first-team all-star, Bradley was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1987.

Gail Sayers (Basketball)
Gail (Klaver) Sayers was a standout player as a teenager at Centennial Secondary, and brought that same skill and passion to the Simon Fraser University women’s basketball program during the mid-70’s. There she worked her way onto the starting lineup and would be selected SFU’s Athlete of the Year in both 1976 and 1977. During her time at SFU, Sayers established a new school scoring record of 2,537, and set the school’s mark for career rebounds, with 1,385, which still stands today. She would go on to be a key member of Canada’s national basketball team during the late-1970’s. Her accomplishments in Clan colours earned her a spot in the SFU Sports Hall of Fame.

Sayers retired in 2013 after a 33-year teaching career in District 43, spending a great deal of that time inspiring students to be physically active.

Pat Philley (Soccer)
Pat Philley was one of the community’s early sports heroes, having earned a spot on the Canadian National soccer team in the mid-1950s. Playing alongside brother Brian, Philley served as Canada’s captain in World Cup qualifiers in 1957, including a 5-1 victory over the United States in Toronto, and a pair of losses to Mexico in Mexico City. The win over the US came in Canada’s first FIFA World qualifier match, with Pat Philley scoring one of the goals.

Prior to that, Philley was a prominent member of the Vancouver City team that won the Canadian Challenge Cup in 1950, beating Winnipeg 4-1 and 4-0 in the final. He would be a two-time member of the BC All-Stars, playing against such legendary clubs as Rangers FC in 1954, Huddersfield Town in 1955, Aberdeen FC and Lokomotiv Moscow in 1956 and finally Tottenham Hotspur in 1957. He was elected a member of Canada’s Soccer Hall of Fame in 2004.

BUILDERS

Brian Lewis (Field Hockey)
Brian Lewis volunteered thousands of hours during a lengthy teaching career at Banting Middle and Gleneagle Secondary schools beginning in the mid-1970s, crafting field hockey programs at both institutions.

At Gleneagle, his teams were regular Valley contenders and provincial participants. In 2000 he founded the Tri-City Eagles Field Club and began the task of building a program from scratch that could provide local youth and adults an opportunity to experience and develop in the sport. He and a dedicated group of volunteers nurtured the club from a handful of teams to now approximately 500 players, from four year olds to adults.

Numerous local players have gone on to pursue the sport at the provincial, national and collegiate levels, while others have been inspired to give back to the game and help coach the more than 30 Eagles teams, thanks to the program established by Lewis.

Bill Mitchell (Wrestling)
Bill Mitchell played an instrumental role in Canada’s wrestling program during the period of 1969 – 1989. A former Canadian Football League player and a long time teacher at Centennial Secondary, Mitchell founded the BC-Japan Cultural exchange program that saw wrestlers from BC and Japan gain from cultural and athletic encounters. He was also director of BC Wrestling Association and the president of the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association, while coaching and managing national teams at World, Pan Am and, in 1988, at the Seoul Olympics.

He is a member of various Hall of Fames, including the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame. It’s a privilege to welcome Bill into ours.