Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash has always maintained he is the sum of all his experiences, especially those early years growing up on the Island.
He was just a kid watching placekicking great and fellow-Victorian Dave Cutler win six Grey Cups with the Edmonton Eskimos and Carl Valentine play soccer in the 1986 World Cup. Nash will now be going into the sa国际传媒 Sports Hall of Fame with the Class of 2016 announced Thursday that includes Cutler, former Vancouver Whitecaps/86ers star Valentine and pioneering soccer player Harry Manson of Nanaimo, also known as Xul-si-malt, meaning 鈥渙ne who leaves his mark.鈥�
Also being inducted in what will be the 50th anniversary Class are former PGA golfer Dave Barr; sa国际传媒 Lions coaching/managing legend Wally Buono; NHL Canucks, NBA Grizzlies and 2010 Winter Olympics builder Arthur Griffiths; track coach/builder Diane Clement, who with husband Doug Clement, was the co-mayor of the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games Athletes Village; former women鈥檚 national team soccer star Geri Donnelly; former national women鈥檚 basketball team coach Allison NcNeill; former Vancouver Sun sports reporter Wendy Long; and the 1994-95 Memorial Cup hockey-champion Kamloops Blazers, the first junior team from any sport to be inducted into the Hall.
鈥淲hat an honour to be included in this group, with so many people that have set the bar for athletics in sa国际传媒,鈥� said Nash, in a statement.
鈥淥ur province has so much to offer 鈥� from the ability to be outside, surrounded in perfect places 鈥� to thousands of volunteer coaches that help keep sport accessible and to real excellence in the science of health and movement that supports kids at play,鈥� added the 2000 Sydney Olympian and eight-time NBA all-star out of St. Michaels University School.
鈥淚鈥檝e been in love with sport forever, made most of my best friends on fields and courts and rinks, and I hope this Hall of Fame class will help leave a legacy that engages British Columbians in the same spirit of teamwork and passion to always improve that鈥檚 given me so much joy.鈥�
It laid the foundation, added Nash, 鈥渇or those of us that wanted to take it farther.鈥�
The 16-season CFL veteran Cutler became the all-time leading scorer in pro football history. He talked of going from one great sporting city, Victoria, to another, Edmonton.
鈥淭hose Eskimos teams were just a bunch of lunch-bucket guys. But we were a band of brothers. We were not individuals but a fabric knitted together,鈥� Cutler said.
Cutler, too, said he is a product of his youth sports.
鈥淚t all began because of my roots in Victoria and playing rugby at Mount View High School [now Spectrum]. I just gave kicking a shot. That鈥檚 where it all started . . . winning the Howard Russell Cup high school rugby title and then transferring my kicking to football under my first Victoria coaches Bob Coutts and Jim Moody. There was and is so much going on in Victoria and so many great athletes that come out of the Island. Look at Steve [Nash]. He wasn鈥檛 just a basketball player but he starred in so many different sports growing up.鈥�
The 2016 induction ceremonies will take place June 9 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
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