Simon Fraser University will add five unique individuals into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020, including a trio of athletes who have made major contributions to sports on Burnaby Mountain.
Those being inducted are football standout Neil McKinlay, wrestling great Craig Roberts and track and field star Jessica Smith. Joining them in the class of 2020 are iconic women’s soccer coach Shelley Howieson and journalist and broadcaster – and former NOW sports scribe – Howard Tsumura.
Chosen by SFU’s selection committee, the group will be honoured at a gala SFU Athletic Awards banquet. It is currently scheduled for March 31 at the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, but it is subject to change due to the current Corona virus pandemic.
"I am very pleased and incredibly proud to announce the 2020 Hall of Fame Class and recognize this extraordinary class of individuals who distiguished themselves among SFU Athletics finest," said SFU senior director of athletics Theresa Hanson. "This is an exceptional group of individuals who have each, in their own remarkable way, made SFU athletics a better place."
McKinlay played five years of football on Burnaby Mountain. During his time on campus, McKinlay experienced both American and Canadian college football, as Simon Fraser played three of those years under American rules in the U.S based NAIA conference and the last two seasons under Canadian rules in the CIS.
In his final season, McKinlay was named a CIS first-team All-Canadian and a Canada West first-team all-star. In that same season, he won the President's Trophy as the nation's Most Outstanding Defensive Player.He set the CIS record for defensive tackles in a season with 77.
Drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the Langley native appeared in 105 games for the Bombers and was a standout on special teams racking up 92 tackles over six seasons.
The late Craig Roberts was a three-time NAIA All-American wrestler with SFU, and in 1988, was part of a historic Clan team which took home the NAIA national title. The 1988 Men's Wrestling Team was earlier inducted into the Simon Fraser University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Roberts also represented Canada at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and he won a silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games. He claimed two international titles after graduation, at the 1991 and 1993 Commonwealth Games in the 68kg category. In 2004, Roberts was diagnosed with rare form of pancreatic cancer, and died in 2006 at just thirty-eight years old.
Smith represented SFU and her country in the 2012 Olympic Summer Games, as well as winning an impressive 16 national titles as a student-athlete while up at Burnaby Mountain. The middle distance runner still holds the university record at 800 metres, and is a nine-time Canadian national team member.
She captained both the track and field and cross country teams during her tenure, and won seven individual NAIA national outdoor titles, including the 4x800M race four times. She added nine indoor NAIA national titles, including the distance medley relay four times. An assistant Coach for SFU's track and field and cross country program, Smith continues to pursue her own running career.
Howieson, who coached the Simon Fraser women's soccer program from its inception to 2014, is credited for building the program from the ground up, while guiding SFU to 22 winning seasons.
During her time on Burnaby Mountain, Howieson led the transition from the NAIA to the NCAA, which began with a second-place finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in the program's first NCAA season in 2010.
Twice during Howieson's coaching tenure, in 1996 and 2000, SFU was crowned NAIA national champions, and she retired with an overall coaching record, of 274-162-47 all-time. Earlier, Howison was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame has recognized coach Howieson's accomplishments, inducting her into their Hall of Fame.
PFrom his place in the stands and the sidelines, Tsumura has become synonymous with high school and university sports. As the long time high school and university reporter for The Province, Tsumura built a legacy which he's carried on today with his own publication: Varsity Letters, which covers countless high school and university programs across B.C. Always one for a clever alliterative turn of describing things, and an instinct to do the groundwork to find a story many didn't even know existed, Tsumura has put many SFU athletes in the spotlight over the years.
Not only has he contributed to the sporting community as a writer, but Tsusmura’s broadcasting work for SFU in both basketball and football has been a constant asset in sharing the accomplishments of the programs.
