Canadian Football League legend Dave Cutler of Victoria has joined a group of 11 former Simon Fraser University players demanding their names be removed from the SFU Sports Hall of Fame.
The move is in response to the school this month without warning or explanation announcing it is dropping its football program, which has produced numerous CFL players over the years. The move has been met with outrage by SFU football alumni.
Alumni joining Cutler in the call to have their names removed from the SFU Sports Hall of Fame are former CFL players Lui Passaglia, Glen Jackson, Rick House, Sean Millington, Terry Bailey, Orville Lee, Neil McKinlay, Doug Brown, Wayne Holm and Rob McLaren.
“It’s a huge honour to be in the SFU Sports Hall and this was not done lightly,” said Cutler.
The Islander said he was approached by a group of alumni to join them in making the gesture. He said he expects more former SFU players to be joining the call to have their names removed from the Hall of Fame.
“But it’s not final,” said Cutler.
“Fix the situation and we will return our names to the Hall of Fame.”
Cutler said he can’t comment on the details of why the school decided to axe the football program: “I don’t know the pieces that led to the decision.”
Cutler said, however, the football program was put in “harm’s way” by playing in an NCAA Div. 2 league so far from home. Other critics have also noted the travel costs alone from Burnaby made that situation unsustainable in the Texas-based Lone Star Conference.
“But I can’t understand why they are not looking for a solution,” said Cutler, mentioning Canadian-based U Sports. “There are things they could be doing.”
Cutler was a rugby player at Mount View High School (now Spectrum) and for the University of Victoria before being converted to football at SFU and being drafted by the Edmonton Eskimos (now Elks) in 1969. He became a placekicking great in the CFL and won six Grey Cups with Edmonton. Cutler has also been inducted into the CFL, sa国际传媒 and Victoria sports halls of fame.
“It’s unbelievable the amount of Canadian talent SFU produced for the CFL,” Cutler said.
Meanwhile, Victoria born and raised sa国际传媒 Lions owner Amar Doman has pledged to match up to $500,000 in a donation drive by alumni to save the SFU football program. The Oak Bay High grad isn’t an alumnus of SFU but noted the program’s historical significance to the CFL. The fund to save the football team is now up to $700,000.
CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie, CFL Players Association executive director Brian Ramsay and Football sa国际传媒 president Jim Mullin all wrote letters to Simon Fraser, U Sports and sa国际传媒 West officials and football coaches condemning the decision. They also asked that SFU be allowed to continue playing football in sa国际传媒.
On April 13, five football players — quarterback Gideone Kremler, defensive backs Kimo Hiu, Andrew Lirag and Ryan Barthelson and linebacker Dayton Ingenhaag — launched a lawsuit in sa国际传媒 Supreme Court against SFU to compel the school to reinstate its football program.
Last week, the school reiterated the team won’t play this season. It added a “special adviser” would be appointed “to review and make recommendations regarding potential sustainable opportunities for football.”
— With files from The Canadian Press
