Football steals the spotlight in the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025, but this group’s heart beats across fields, rinks, and greens—proving grit and community spirit define true legends. Join us as we celebrate these inspiring inductees at the April 10, 2026, banquet at Riverway Golf Course.

Athlete: Sean Fleming – From Burnaby Kicking Fields to Grey Cup Glory

Picture a kid from Parkcrest Elementary, trading soccer balls and baseballs for footballs, who grew up to etch his name in CFL history. Sean Fleming, Burnaby’s own, powered through 16 seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos, shattering records like 2,571 points, 553 field goals and that unforgettable overtime field goal in the 1995 Grey Cup — his third championship from five appearances. From Vancouver College to University of Wyoming stardom and NFL tryouts, Fleming’s journey embodies hometown hustle.

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Sean Fleming’s Full Profile

Builder: Farhan Lalji – Sideline Storyteller Who Built the Game

Farhan Lalji turned a six-year-old’s move to Burnaby into a lifetime passion, playing and coaching at Burnaby Central before becoming TSN’s voice of football — covering 22 Grey Cups, 16 Super Bowls, and beyond. Off-air, he revived New Westminster’s football program, secured scholarships for kids, and pioneered safety policies as BC High School Football president, earning his BC Football Hall spot through sheer community fire.

Click Here For Farhan Lalji’s Full Profile

Athlete: Josephine Lee – Lawn Bowls Refugee Turned Global Trailblazer

Escaping China’s unrest after Tiananmen, Josephine Lee found solace and fire in Burnaby’s lawn bowling greens alongside husband Freeman Watt. Her precision rolled her to 37 provincial medals (24 gold), 19 national (10 gold), U.S. Open golds, and Canada’s flags at the Commonwealth Games — now mentoring the next generation with the same spark that redefined her life.

Click Here For Josephine Lee’s Full Profile

Builder: Susan Kirkby – Lacrosse’s Tireless Heartbeat

Susan Kirkby poured her soul into Burnaby Minor Lacrosse since 2004 as registrar, executive, and now BMLA president, channeling “Mr. Lacrosse” Jack Crosby’s legacy by launching his namesake novice tournament. Her endless drive earned the BC Lacrosse Association’s Ruth Seward Award, building a stronger game for countless kids.

Click Here For Susan Kirkby’s Full Profile

Builder: Susan Kirkby – Speed Skating Legacy on Ice

With speed skating in her blood — daughter of Hall of Famer Agatha— Adriana Vanderstarre has coached Burnaby’s club for over 30 years, fueling medals, provincial titles, and world records for skaters province-wide. From Team BC competitor to national coach, she’s led 20+ meets in a single season, appointed nearly 50 times for elite events like Canada Winter Games.

Click Here For Adriana Vanderstarre’s Full Profile

Mark your calendars for this unforgettable night — Grab Online Tickets Here or reach chair David Boroevich at 604-992-4004 for interviews.

Lui Passaglia’s formative football years growing up and maturing into a professional were spent while residing in North Burnaby. His legendary gridiron exploits led him to induction into the BC Lions Wall of Fame, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the BC Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and now the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame.

Passaglia has been chosen for induction to the Burnaby hall along with local broadcast legend Don Taylor, former NHL and Vancouver Canucks forward Mike Santorelli, international curling coach Fuji Miki and Cliff Avenue United Synergy, the 2008 Canadian U14 girls soccer championship team. They will all be inducted at the BSHOF banquet to be held March 15, 2024 at the Riverway Golf Club., in Burnaby.

ATHLETE — Lui Passaglia/Football

Lui Passaglia’s formative football years growing up and maturing into a professional were spent while residing in North Burnaby. His legendary gridiron exploits led him to induction into the BC Lions Wall of Fame, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the BC Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and now the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame.

Lui’s family moved to Burnaby in 1968 when he was 14 years old and attended Notre Dame High School where he started playing football with the Jugglers juggernaut coached by Al Blesch and George Oswald (a 2012 Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame inductee). Passaglia helped lead Notre Dame to three provincial championships (1968, 1970, 1971) playing quarterback, safety, punter and place kicker.

After graduation he headed up Burnaby Mountain to play for Simon Fraser University where he played wide receiver along with his kicking duties. He also played on SFU’s soccer team. Passaglia’s pigskin exploits caught the eye of the local Canadian Football League team and the BC Lions chose him fifth overall in the 1976 CFL draft. He remained living at home in Burnaby during his first four seasons with the Leos. He even caught a 10-yard touchdown pass in his first CFL game, July 22, 1976 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Click Here For Lui Passaglia’s Full Profile

ATHLETE — Mike Santorelli/Hockey

Santorelli, who grew up in Burnaby and played for both Burnaby Minor Hockey Association and Burnaby Winter Club, was not a primo puck prospect. But that didn’t stop him from climbing the hockey ladder and eventually playing 406 regular season and four playoff games in the National Hockey League. His story is one of perseverance. Santorelli played two seasons in the BC Hockey League with Langley and Vernon.

His 67 goals and 148 points in two seasons caught the eye of scouts from Northern Michigan University, where he played three seasons scoring 61 goals and 110 points in 121 games. The Nashville Predators took notice of his play, drafting him in the sixth round of the 2004 NHL draft. After joining the Predators organization, Santorelli spent the best part of three seasons playing for the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, where he scored 74 goals and 171 points in 207 games.

Click Here For Mike Santorelli’s Full Profile

BUILDER — Don Taylor/Broadcaster

Taylor, a big booster of Burnaby, his hometown, throughout his long career in local broadcasting, is the first media member to be inducted into the Hall. This honour follows on the heels of him recently being chosen for induction to the BC Sports Hall of Fame’s media wing. The long-time resident of Burnaby first gained notoriety in the Vancouver sports market with his entertaining co-hosting of CKVU’s nightly Sports Page show from 1985 to 2000.

His highlight packages with his funny phrases were a must-see and hear for local sports fans every night. Who can forget Taylorism like “the mesh ripples,” “top shelf where mom keeps the peanut butter,” or his use of phrases made famous by legendary Montreal Canadiens play-by-play broadcaster Danny Gallivan like “it was a scintillating save” or a “Savardian spinarama” or when he mimicked Maple Leaf Gardens public address announcer Paul Morris.

Click Here For Don Taylor’s Full Profile

COACH — Fuji Miki/Curling

Fuji Miki’s first introduction to curling was in Midway, a border town in the West Kootenays, when his family was interned during the Second World War. At the war’s conclusion he moved to South Burnaby where he resided for 50 years.

After a successful playing career, in which he played lead for BC men’s champion Glen Pierce in 1979, and second for Pierce when they won the Canadian mixed championship in 1982, Miki took up coaching. One of his first coaching successes was to guide a junior men’s team that included his son Bryan (a 2017 Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame inductee) at second and Pierce’s son Brent at skip to a 1987 provincial championship.

Click Here For Fuji Miki’s Full Profile

TEAM — 2008 U14 Cliff Avenue United Synergy

The Synergy of a group of girls from North Burnaby on the soccer pitch was something to behold. The collection of U14s simply ran roughshod over all comers from coast to coast in going unbeaten in the 32 games they played that season. In 19 games on the local soccer scene the only blemish on their record was one tie to go along with 18 wins.

They breezed through the Coastal Cup A Championships winning all four of their games and another four at the Provincial Cup Championship. That enabled the Synergy, coached by Tony Drescher and Mark Pennington, to advance to the Canadian youth championships in Prince Edward Island Oct. 5-13, 2008.

Click Here For 2008 U14 Cliff Avenue United Synergy’s Full Profile

ATHLETE — Erin Gee/Softball

Erin Gee is a former softball player from Burnaby who played at both the national and international level. She began her career with the Burnaby Oakeys and helped them win numerous titles, including two national crowns. She then played for Simon Fraser University where she won four NAIA regional titles and two NAIA national championships.

She also represented Canada at various competitions such as the World University Softball Championship, Canada Cups, the US World Cup of Softball, and the Pan-Am Games, where she won a silver medal. She was also an alternate on Canada’s 2008 Olympic team in Beijing. Gee is known for her impressive batting statistics, including a career .424 batting average at SFU, and is a record holder in several categories for the school’s softball team. Click Here For Erin’s Full Profile

ATHLETE — Mike McLenaghen/Soccer

Mike McLenaghen was a talented young athlete who excelled in sports at Wesburn and Confederation Park community centres. He eventually found his calling on the soccer pitch, playing for British Columbia’s first-ever BC under-18 team in 1972, which won the Western Canadian championship and came second in the national championship.

The following year, he became the captain of Canada’s national youth team. McLenaghen continued his soccer career at Simon Fraser University, playing in two NAIA national championships before being drafted by the Minnesota Kicks in the 1979 North American Soccer League. He went on to play for several other NASL teams and also competed in eight international games for Canada. Click Here For Mike’s Full Profile

BUILDER — Jim Swelander/Soccer-Baseball

Jim Swelander formed the Burnaby Dartmen Soccer Club right after finishing high school, and they won the league championship in their first year. They eventually moved up to the B.C. Senior Soccer League, starting in Division 7 and rising to Division 1 in 1987.

The Dartmen won the Imperial Cup crown in their first season in Division 1 and were promoted to the Premier League, becoming the only club in league history to go from Division 7 to the Premier League. Swelander expanded the Dartmen into a multi-sport club, including baseball and hockey, and coached and managed many of the baseball squads himself. The Dartmen won many championships and tournaments in various sports over the years. Click Here For Jim’s Full Profile

COACH — Sandeep Gill/Karate

Sandeep Gill is a renowned karate coach in Canada who opened the Burnaby Karate Academy in 1999. He has coached the provincial team for four years and won several awards, including Karate BC high-performance coach of the year in 2008 and 2009 and national coach of the year in 2010.

Gill’s students have competed in various international events, including world junior championships, karate world cups, the Pan American Games, Pan American karate championships, and a Commonwealth championship. The Burnaby Karate Academy has won numerous medals under Gill’s leadership, with 86 gold medals and over 150 silver and bronze medals as of 2021. In 2018, the academy claimed 11 individual titles, four more than the fourth-place province of Alberta. Click Here For Sandeep’s Full Profile

TEAM — SFU women’s basketball 2004-05

The SFU women’s basketball team of 2004-05 had an undefeated season, won the Canada West semifinal and final, and the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship. They set a school record for most victories in a season and scored 67 points more than their opponents in the championship. The team was named Sport BC’s 2005 Team of the Year, and head coach Bruce Langford and guard Dani Langford received Canada West and CIS coach and player of the year honors, respectively. Click Here For SFU 2004-05 Basketball Team Profile

On behalf of the entire Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame Committee I welcome you to our 20th induction banquet.
Coming out of a three-year, Covid-driven hiatus it feels great to once again be able to gather together to recognize and celebrate those who have brought honour to Burnaby through their incredible achievements in the arenas of sport.
It is said sport has the unique ability to cut across differences in age, gender, ethnicity, politics and wealth to unify, inspire, entertain and amaze. Our Class of 2022 inductees and our scholarship recipients certainly are living proof of this.
This year, 2023, finds our organization undertaking significant and exciting changes, including:
• launching a new website;
• re-branding with a new logo and catchphrase (Honouring the Past, Inspiring the Future);
• turnover in our committee as we bid farewell and sincere thanks to several long-serving members and welcome some talented newcomers to our team;
• working with the City of Burnaby to plan our move to a sparkling new state-of-the-art facility (see images Page 2); and
• relocating our banquet to the spectacular Riverway Clubhouse.
Thanks for choosing to be here; your support is truly appreciated. Thanks to our committee members for their commitment and results. Without them there is no BSHOF. Lastly, thanks to the staff at Riverway and our event photographer and piper; you’ve helped make this a special night.
– BSHOF Chair David Boroevich

Tom Berridge
As sports editor of the Burnaby Now, Tom Berridge was invited to join the committee in its early stages. He served many of those years as vice-chair and is the most recent past chair of the committee. Tom also did an excellent job of organizing the inductee plaques and medals prior to every banquet, and his long limbs came in handy when selling an arm’s length of 50/50 tickets.

Merv Magus
In addition to being an inductee to the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame (builder, 2013), Merv Magus was the committee’s treasurer since the BSHOF’s early days. The former Burnaby Central graphic arts teacher was also responsible for setting up and maintaining the hall’s website.

Rosemary Magus
We are indebted to Rosemary Magus for taking on the tough task of organizing ticket sales for the annual inductee banquet for so many years. Her duties included — just like a wedding planner — the thankless job of figuring out the seating plan for the banquet making sure the right people sat in the right place.

Brian Pound
Brian Pound served as committee chair for several years in the BSHOF’s first decade and more. The former Vancouver Province sports writer’s leadership and knowledge have been valuable assets to the BSHOF’s growth throughout his involvement with the committee..

The Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame committee would like to offer our special thanks to Burnaby Metrotown Firefighters Hall for providing its excellent facility for our first 19 annual banquets. The relationship between the Firefighters and the BSHOF committee has been a huge contributor to our success.
The BSHOF committee is proud to hold our 2023 induction banquet at the City of Burnaby’s fantastic Riverway Golf Course.