SFU is known for its advanced athletic programs as it awards numerous athletic scholarships every year and recently became the first Canadian school to enter the NCAA. Over the years, SFU has produced unbelievable athletes who have set records and have made remarkable accomplishments. This is a countdown of the ten most influential SFU students and alumni in sports.
#10
Curtis Hodgson
Curtis Hodgson’s four years on the SFU lacrosse team helped him build a solid future as a professional lacrosse player who would play in the National Lacrosse League and the Western Lacrosse Association, winning two Minto Cup Championships and become the first-team All-WLA for four consecutive years. Initially drafted by the Vancouver Ravens, the defenseman played for the Washington Stealth for four seasons, achieving his career’s best with 43 points. Currently, Hodgson is playing for the Burnaby Lakers and working as a teacher and lacrosse coach at Byrne Creek Elementary. Born in 1981, Hodgson is one of the youngest athletes to make this top ten list, and it is evident that this recent SFU graduate has a bright future of playing, coaching and teaching.
#9
Francesco Aquilini
Francesco Aquilini, the managing director of the Aquilini investment group, and owner of the Vancouver Canucks and Rogers Arena may be one of the most controversial individuals on this list. It can be argued that Francesco Aquilini did not achieve enough to make the list as he inherited the business from his family, giving him the financial ability to own the Canucks. On the other hand, many may be shocked as to why he did not make the top of the list as he has made many positive changes to the Canucks franchise. Unlike the others listed here, Aquilini overcame his biggest obstacles in the courtroom as opposed to on the field after battling his former partners for the ownership of the Canucks. Nevertheless, the SFU alumnus received his undergraduate degree in business, and owns one of the most popular and profitable teams in Canada.
#8
Daniel Igali
In 1994, native Nigerian wrestler Daniel Igali came to Canada to compete in the 1994 Commonwealth Games and stayed in Canada as a refugee until 1998 when he received his Canadian citizenship. While studying at SFU, Igali achieved an impressive winning streak consisting of 116 consecutive matches. Igali, the 2000 Summer Olympic Games gold medalist, is the only individual on this list that is currently a university student. After earning his undergraduate degree, Igali is now working on his master’s degree in Criminology at SFU.
#7
Carol Huynh
Born in 1980, Carol Huynh started her wrestling career at the age of fifteen after her parents emigrated from Vietnam and settled in New Hazelton, British Columbia. The wrestling sensation began her studies at SFU in 1998, but later moved to the University of Calgary. In 2008, Huynh won gold at the Beijing Summer Olympics, becoming the first Canadian woman to win a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.
#6
Hugh Fisher
Hugh Fisher competed in three Olympic Games, and is a two time Olympic medalist: winning gold in the 1000 meter sprint canoe race and bronze in the 500 meter sprint at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. 1985 was a memorable year for the New Zealand native as he was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame and was made a Member of the Order of Canada. Fisher’s achievements extend far past the water as he is currently working as a doctor in Whistler and an example for all SFU students that anything is possible.
#5
Nancy Greene
Voted “Canada’s Female Athlete of the 20th Century,” Nancy Greene began skiing at an early age while living with her family in Rossland, British Columbia. Greene has won more world cup victories in skiing than any other Canadian, and her name can be found on Canada’s Walk of Fame. In the 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympic Games, Greene won a gold and silver medal in the Slalom. Currently, Greene is a Canadian Senator and in February was chosen to light the Olympic cauldron during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
#4
Lui Passaglia
Known as the greatest Lion in BC history, CFL kicker Lui Passaglia had a career that lasted twenty-five years, an impressive 408 games and three Grey Cups. Beginning his football career in high school, he received an athletic scholarship to SFU where he scored 175 points and was voted an All-Northwest All-Star. One of his greatest accomplishments is the amount of points he scored while in the CFL, which exceeds any other CFL or NFL player. After the Lions won the 88th Grey Cup in 2000, Passaglia announced that he would be retiring. His jersey may have had a five on it, but he is considered the number one player in BC Lions history.
#3
Jay Triano
When Jay Triano was an athlete at SFU he broke eleven records and it was clear that he had an incredibly successful future ahead of him. Although the 1981 LA Lakers pick never actually played in the NBA, he was the captain of Canada’s national team for eight years and competed in the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics. Triano then returned to SFU as head coach of the men’s basketball team. In 2008, Triano was announced as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors, making him the first Canadian to coach in the NBA.
#2
Sue Holloway
Sue Holloway was drawn to sports all of her life, leading her to break two major records. Although she was a star on the swim team at SFU, she would compete in the Olympics in different sports. The Nova Scotia native became the first Canadian and the first woman to compete in the Winter and Summer Olympics in the same year. In 1976, Holloway attended the Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria where she competed in cross-country skiing. Later that year she competed in sprint canoe at the Summer Games in Montreal. Although she did not receive an Olympic medal in 1976, she competed in the Summer Olympic Games in 1984 where she won bronze and silver in canoeing. Holloway’s outstanding record-breaking achievements made it evident that SFU provides ideal resources for dynamic athletes.
#1
Terry Fox
It is no surprise that Terry Fox is the most influential athlete that has attended Simon Fraser University. The Canadian hero played basketball at SFU and studied kinesiology hoping to one day teach physical education. In 1977 Fox was diagnosed with cancer and would have his leg amputated, which would lead to a journey of a lifetime. Fox, determined to raise money for cancer research began “The Marathon of Hope,” a run across Canada. Since his death, over sixty countries hold Terry Fox runs and an average of five hundred million dollars has been raised for the Terry Fox Foundation. Fox is a Canadian hero who left behind a legacy and gave hope to many people. He is someone SFU students should be proud to call their peer.
