The Board of the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the names of the athletes, officials and builders who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. The 2018 inductees will be honored at the annual Induction Ceremony and Dinner scheduled for Saturday, October 27 at the Westin Bear Mountain.

Four athletes will be inducted – Dave Calder (Rowing), Rich Harden (Baseball), Alison Murdoch (Golf) and Deb Whitten (Field Hockey).

Calder was a prolific rower with achievements that included winning nine World Cup medals and a silver medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Harden, a product of Layritz Little League, played for the Oakland A’s and the Chicago Cubs and is famously known for his ‘immaculate inning’ in 2008 with the Cubs. Murdoch captured many international golfing awards after she joined the Victoria Golf Club in 1998, including four Canadian Senior Women’s Championships, four Irish Senior Women’s Open Championships, and the British Senior Women’s Open Championship. Whitten, a goaltender for the UVic Vikettes and the Canadian National Field Hockey team, is a silver medallist in the Pan American Games (1991) and played in two World Cups and the 1992 Olympic Games.

In addition, three-time Olympic swimmer Ron Jacks will be honoured in the coaching category for services to swimming, and Ian Lamplugh in the official’s category for baseball. Jacks is PacificCoast Swimming’s Director of Swimming and one of very few coaches who has trained able-bodied swimmers, swimmers with a disability and open water swimmers to podium finishes. Lamplugh is BC’s most heralded umpire and a pioneer in his field, having worked over 200 Major League games from 2000-2003, in addition to umpiring in the Pacific Coast League as well as overseas in Taiwan and the Caribbean.

The two builder inductees will be Yeiji Inouye (Judo) and Hugh MacDonald (Multi-sports). Inouye served judo for over 75 years as an athlete, international-level coach, referee and provincial and national administrator, and he founded many Judo clubs on Vancouver Island including the Victoria Judo Club and the Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo and Comox clubs. As Executive Director of SportHost Victoria from 1996-2018, MacDonald was instrumental in bringing major international sporting events such as the 2005 and 2013 Ford World Curling Championships, and the 2019 World Junior Hockey Championships to Victoria.

"The selection process was particularly difficult this year, as there are so many outstanding people in the Victoria sports community," said Lois Smith, chair of the Induction Nominations Committee. "I commend the committee members for their hard work and diligence in producing such a stellar slate."

Tickets for the October 27 Induction dinner will go on sale Friday, May 11 at $135 per person. More information and to purchase tickets go to http://www.gvshof.ca/events.html

2018 GVSHoF Inductee Bios

ATHLETES:

Dave Calder – Athlete – Rowing

A native Victorian and graduate of Brentwood College, Dave has rowed for 20 years and has raced on three continents, in 14 countries and at over 40 international competitions. He has won nine National Championship titles, nine World Cup medals, and three World Championship titles. He represented Canada in four consecutive Olympic Games, beginning with Sydney 2000, winning the silver medal in men’s coxless pairs (with Scott Frandsen) in 2008 in Beijing. He continues to give back to his sport as a Level II/III NCCP coach and coached locally for many years, as well as managing the St. Michaels University School Rowing Centre and the Gorge Narrows Rowing Club. Still very involved in rowing, Dave was appointed Executive Director of Rowing BC in 2017.

Rich Harden – Athlete – Baseball

A product of Layritz Little League, Rich attended Central Arizona College on a baseball scholarship, during which time he led all Division 1 college pitchers and was selected All Conference. Drafted by the Oakland A’s, he rocketed through the minor leagues, reaching the majors after only two years. Rich made his first playoff appearance in the 2003 post season, pitching in relief and getting the win. In 2008, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs and was instrumental in helping them make the playoffs. It was in 2008 that he pitched an “immaculate inning” – a first inning when he struck out three batters on nine pitches, only the sixth time that has been done to the first 3 batters of the game. Rich played a total of nine seasons in the majors before injury forced retirement. His final major league stats: won 59, lost 38 for an outstanding winning percentage of .608. He finished with a stellar 3.76 career ERA and a remarkable 949 strikeouts in 928 Innings pitched, which ranks him 14th all-time in the history of Major League Baseball.

Alison Murdoch – Athlete – Golfing

Alison Murdoch’s career as an amateur golfer began in Quebec where she won the Quebec Junior Girls Championship as well as numerous regional championships. However, it wasn’t until she joined the Victoria Golf Club in 1998 that her national success began. In 2002, she won her first of four Canadian Senior Women’s Championships. Since then, she has won internationally, capturing the British Senior Women’s Open Championships, four Irish Senior Women’s Open Championships, two Pacific Northwest Golf Association Senior and Mid-Amateur Championships. She has also taken the BC, Alberta and Washington State Senior Titles. Alison was inducted into the Golf Canada Hall of Fame in 2013.

Deb Whitten – Athlete – Field Hockey

As a goaltender, Deb was a member of the Canadian National Field Hockey team and competed in the World Cup in 1990 and 1994, the Pan American Games in 1991 (silver medallists) and 1995 (bronze medallists) and the Olympic Games in 1992. Deb backstopped the UVic Vikettes to two CIAU National Championships (1989, 1991) and four Canada West titles (1988, 1989, 1990 and 1992). During the Vikettes’ 1989 undefeated Championship season, Deb allowed only three goals during the entire campaign. She continues to give back to the sport community as she currently sits on the Board of Directors at PISE and serves as President of the Board of Directors for BC School Sports.

COACHES & OFFICIALS:

Ron Jacks – Coach – Swimming

A three-time Olympic swimmer himself, Ron is PacificCoast Swimming’s Director of Swimming and one of its founding coaches. He is an NCCP Level 4 and NCI Master Coach. He has been recognized for coaching excellence by Swim BC, the BC Swim Coaches and Teachers Association, the Canadian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association, and Swimming/Natation Canada. Ron was National Open Water Coach of the Year in 2002, 2003 and 2004, a Paralympic Coach at Athens 2004, and Canadian Open Water Head Coach at the 2005 World Aquatic Championships and 2006 Pan Pacific Championships. He received a National Domestic Excellence in Coaching award in 2003 and 2004, a Petro-Canada National Coaching Excellence award in 2004 and 2008, and a 2004 International CSCTA Team award. He was BC Coach of the Year (SWAD/Para) for six consecutive years 2004 – 2009 and 2002 BC Coach of the Year (16 and under age group). Ron is one of very few coaches who has completed a hat trick at international level, with medallists among able-bodied swimmers, swimmers with a disability and open water swimmers. He has been inducted into the Canadian Swimming, Swim BC and BC Sports Halls of Fame.

Ian Lamplugh – Official – Baseball

(pronunciation guide:   LAMP-loo)

Ian is BC’s most heralded umpire. After several years in minor pro ball, he broke into the “bigs” in 2000 and worked over 200 Major League games over a three-year period. This was a huge accomplishment as there were only five Canadian umpires in the majors. He also umpired the Pacific Coast League and, after his days in the majors, served for three years as the Umpire in Chief for the Taiwan Professional Baseball League. Ian has also worked in the Dominican Winter League and umpired in the Caribbean World Series. In 2002, BC Minor Baseball and the BC Baseball Umpires Association founded an award to recognize the top umpire prospect in BC and named it the Ian Lamplugh Award. Today, Ian keeps his hand in by umpiring at the amateur and semi-pro levels and is actively involved with the Provincial Umpire’s Association, instructing and mentoring young officials. He was inducted into the BCBUA Hall of Fame in 2010.

BUILDERS:

Yeiji Inouye – Builder – Judo

(pronunciation guide: YAY-gee ih-NEW-ee)

In Canada, Yeiji Inouye is “Mr. Judo.” As an athlete, Yeiji was only the second Canadian to achieve ninth Dan Black Belt. He has coached the Canadian team at World Championships. In 1974, he achieved his International Judo Association “A” Referee certification and has refereed at World Championships and the Olympic Games. But it is his contributions as a builder to his sport that are most remarkable. Yeiji started judo in 1938 at age 13 in Haney and continued to progress in the sport throughout his 25-year career in the Canadian Navy, which afforded him several opportunities to train in Japan. By 1954, he was training service personnel in Esquimalt and, in 1957, founded the Victoria Judo Club. Between 1958 and 1962, he co-founded the University of Victoria Judo Club, and the Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo and Comox clubs.

He has served his sport as President of Judo BC, Chair of the Judo BC Grading Board and Referees Committee as well as National Councillor to Judo Canada, Chair of both the National Grading Board and National Referee Committee for multiple terms from 1968 through 2006. In 1972, he created the new Canadian Black Belt grading syllabus. He has acted as Tournament Director, Chief Referee and Evaluator at various national and provincial championships and arranged international clinics in Canada. Throughout this time, he gave clinics around BC and was chief instructor at the Victoria Judo Club for 41 years, producing athletes who have competed nationally and internationally. Yeiji has been recognized many times for his contribution to Judo, including Life Membership and induction into the Judo Canada Hall of Fame in 2001. His remarkable commitment to his sport spans more than 75 years.

Hugh MacDonald – Builder – Multi-sports

A graduate of Lansdowne and Oak Bay Jr./Sr. schools and the University of Victoria, Hugh was both athlete and coach in Victoria until moving on to Vancouver to begin a 30-year career in sports marketing. His experience led him to Senior Sales and Marketing positions with the 1988 Calgary Olympics, 1994 Commonwealth Games and 1999 Pan Am Games. From 1996, he was Executive Director of PacificSport’s SportHost Victoria and has been instrumental in bringing major international sporting events such as the 2005 and 2013 Ford World Curling Championships and the 2019 World Junior Hockey Championships to Victoria. Hugh is currently Chair of Langford Economic Development Sport and Recreation Committee, Director Victoria Open Golf Society, Director Langford Sport Authority, member of the Pacific Cup Hockey Organizing Committee, Director Victoria International Cycling Festival, and Director Victoria International Sevens Rugby Society. He is widely recognized as a builder of sport, sport tourism and sport development and has lent his expertise to literally hundreds of local events over the years.