The Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame committee today announced eight new individuals and one team to be inducted into the Hall this coming February.
The individual list comprises two athletes, three builders and three coaches. All were selected for bringing honour to Burnaby through their athletic achievements.
The two athlete inductees are John Haar and Bob Mills.
Haar was an outstanding baseball, football and soccer star at the University of British Columbia before concentrating solely on baseball as a coach and manager at the highest level.
Mills was an outstanding national level soccer player and minor league coach.
The three builders are Dave Nonis, John Adams and John Berry.
Nonis grew up and played hockey in the Burnaby Minor system. He went on to a successful college career before joining the NHL Vancouver Canucks organization and eventually becoming the team's senior vice-president and general manager. Nonis is currently the senior vice-president of hockey operations for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Adams has been a leading figure in the development and support of Burnaby rugby, particularly at the youth level, creating a junior program starting in the 1980s. He was also an outstanding wrestling athlete and coach.
Berry has played an outstanding role as a baseball and soccer administrator for the past 26 years and had a key role in the development of the initial turf fields at the Burnaby Lake Sport Complex-West development.
The coaches are former longtime Notre Dame Regional Secondary School football coach George Oswald and former Simon Fraser University swim coaches Margaret and Paul Savage.
Oswald stepped down as coach of Notre Dame following the 2010 season, ending one of the most decorated coaching careers in B.C. high school sports. During a 33-year career, Oswald's teams were part of 15 provincial championships.
The Savages created a swimming dynasty at SFU, where during their tenure at the university, 30 of the Savages' swimmers competed internationally for Canada. They also coached SFU men to 10 NAIA titles and the women's team to three. Paul, who passed away in 2002, was named NAIA coach of the year three times and his wife, Margaret, twice.
The team inductee is the 1983 Willingdon Dirty Dozen women's soccer team, which won the national bantam club championship in Niagara Falls, winning on penalty shots against the home team.
The Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame Induction dinner will take place on Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Metrotown Burnaby Firefighters' Club starting at 6 p.m.
Tickets for the event are $75 and can be purchased through tick [email protected].
