Dave grew up in Victoria, enjoying all that the city had to offer in the way of sports, with a special emphasis on basketball and football.

He played high school basketball under Coach and basketball icon Don Horwood. Oak Bay won the provincial championships in both 1973 and 1974, becoming the first team to win “back-to-back” in 23 years. Dave is joined by lifelong friends Rob Parris, Tim Carlson and Evan Jones as the four players to have been on both teams. He was a second team all-star in 1973 and a first team all-star in 1974.

Dave also played juvenile football in Victoria, first for the Saanich Chew Excavating Hornets and then for Farmer Construction, primarily as a defensive end.

At UBC, Dave played two years of basketball before joining the Thunderbirds Football Team which won the Western Conference Championship Hardy Cup in 1977. In the 1978 Canadian Football League (CFL) draft, Dave was taken first overall.

Dave played nine years in the CFL – eight-and-a-half of them with the Calgary Stampeders - all as a starting offensive lineman, except for his first year when he played on special teams and as a blocking tight end in short yardage situations. During his career, he was named to three Western All-Star teams and was offensive Captain of the team for three years. As their top offensive lineman, Dave was also Calgary’s three-time nominee for the Schenley Award, given by the CFL for the league’s Most Outstanding Player.

Dave’s early days as a lineman were at the guard position. After a few years of solid play, Calgary moved him to offensive left tackle, a position made famous by the movie “Blind Side” which highlighted the importance of protecting the quarterback’s blind side on passing plays.

Dave was selected as the starting offensive left tackle for the 1983 CFL All-Star game in Vancouver, the only CFL All-Star game in modern history, and scored his only professional touchdown by falling on a fumbled ball in the end zone. He still smiles when he thinks of the “skill” it takes to fall on a loose ball.

Finishing his career in 1986 in Toronto, Dave was one game short of a Grey Cup appearance. Never having played in a Grey Cup is the one thing he wishes he could change, but he has so many great memories of teammates and “leaving it all on the field” that he can get over this shortcoming (most of the time).

Dave and his wife Pam recently returned to Victoria, drawn back by everything Victoria has to offer, but most importantly because their two daughters, Erin and Hannah, and grandchildren Dylan, Ivy, Olivia, and Henry – all future hall-of-famers in their own right! - were already living on the Island. They have been fortunate to have remained well connected with their Victoria friends from “the good old days” over all these years.