Remembering Those We Lost
Since our last banquet in February 2020, the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame has seen five of its inductees pass away: Doug Abercrombie (coach, soccer, inducted 2003), Jack McIlhargey (athlete, hockey, 2004), Roy Nosella (builder, soccer/basetball, 2014), Don Steen (coach, athletics, 2001) and Agatha van der Starre (builder, speedskating, 2007).
Doug Abercrombie 1944-2023
A legendary coach of the Capilano Blues women’s soccer program from 1995 to 2011, Abercrombie’s squads won five Canadian College Athletic Association titles in seven seasons and eight provincial titles while compiling a record of 103 wins, 48 losses and 34 ties. He was twice named conference Coach of the Year and was inducted into the CCAA Hall of Fame in 2017.
Jack McIlhargey 1952-2020
Jack McIlhargey played minor hockey at the Burnaby Winter Club, major junior in Victoria and Flin Flon, and three minor pro teams before playing 393 games in the NHL. He played defence three seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, four for the Vancouver Canucks and three for the Hartford Whalers. He was a Canucks assistant coach for 12 seasons and three in Philly, and head coach of the Canucks AHL team for eight seasons.
Roy Nosella 1940-2022
Roy Nosella served on the Vancouver Athletic Commission for 43 years including a stint as its chair, a BC Soccer director and vice-chair for seven years, and a director of the Vancouver Metro Soccer League for seven years. He refereed in the Metro Women’s Soccer League where he developed and implemented a mentorship program. His 20 years of service to BC Soccer were recognized when he received the A.C. Sanford Award.
Don Steen 1935-2022
An extraordinary athletics coach, Don Steen was a founding member and president of the Canadian Track and Field Coaches Association, one of three coaches for Canada’s track and field team at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, national athletics development coach for Canada’s elite blind and visually impaired athletes, coach for four Canadian Paralympic teams, and helped many an athlete at all levels at Burnaby Central secondary.
Agatha van der Starre 1930-2021
Not only did Agatha Van Der Starre hold more than 50 provincial, national and world age-group speedskating records she was a true ambassador for the sport and an inspiration to all, Van Der Starre took over as president of the Burnaby Speed Skating Club in 1981. She built it up from just five members, putting in countless hours while occasionally being seen skating on Deer Lake on the rare occasions in froze over.
