Field Hockey Canada Celebrates Hall of Fame Month
August is Hall of Fame month and over the next four weeks, Field Hockey Canada will be celebrating the 2020 class of inductees. Watch every week for individual stories, videos and photos of eight storied field hockey careers and a national team that achieved international glory. Join us by sharing on social media and reading/watching/learning about our amazing legacy.
Legendary Builders, Coaches and Athletes headline the 2020 Hall of Fame Class
Building off a successful 2019 Hall of Fame celebration and a fantastic class of athletes, builders, and officials, Field Hockey Canada is proud to announce its outstanding class of 2020 Hall of Fame inductees.
The Hall of Fame recognizes those who have given to hockey and excelled in our community. Members of our 2020 class have certainly done that. Entering the Hall of Fame in the athlete category this year are Jean Major and David Bissett. Both outstanding players and amazing leaders on the Women’s and Men’s National Teams, respectively. In the coach category, the storied careers of Shiaz Virjee and Shiv Jagday will be celebrated. Both led Canadian men’s teams in Olympic Games and continue to coach in the community to this day. In the builder category, Peter Buckland, Moira Colbourne, Barb Hart Harris and Judy McCrae enter. Closing out the 2020 class is the 1983 Men’s National Team, becoming the third recognized team in the Hall.
ATHLETE CATEGORY
Jean Major was the captain of the Hall of Fame 1983 Women’s National Team and was named internationally as a top-11 player in 1983. She was an instrumental leader and a dominant player during Team Canada’s rise to the top of the world.
David Bissett established himself early on as a tremendous leader and goal-scorer. A multi-talented player, Bissett went on to lead Team Canada to the Olympic Games and World Cup including recognition as the Closing Ceremonies Flag Bearer for the 1983 Pan American Games, in which he captained the team to a gold medal.
COACH CATEGORY
Shiaz Virjee is a world-class coach, having led the Men’s National Team to Olympic and World Cup competitions. An FIH coach, he has coached at every level of the game from youth to international over the past 40 years. He continues to give back to the game as a coach and mentor today.
Shiv Jagday is one of the marquee coaching figures in Canadian hockey history having World Cups and Olympic games under his belt on top of leading Team Canada to 1983 Pan Am gold. He is one of the most accomplished and decorated coaches in Canadian history and is a shining example of a hall of famer.
BUILDER CATEGORY
Peter Buckland was an internationally renowned Canadian player before transitioning to administration, where he’s remembered as an important Canadian Field Hockey Association president and known for his contribution to hosting the 1976 Montreal Olympics – the first to be held on an artificial playing surface. Peter was central to this transition from grass to artificial surface and in doing so impacted our sport around the world and permanently changed the game.
Former National team athlete, Moira Colbourne continued to give back to the game after retiring as a player. She did so in many ways as a league president and founder, coach and mentor. Notably, she served as the Commissioner on the Burnaby Parks and Recration board leading the creation of sport artificial turf fields.
Moira’s teammate, Barb Hart Harris is the ultimate ambassador of the game. She was instrumental in the lead-up and execution of the highly successful 1979 World Championship in Vancouver and she created the 79ers group as a sport, philanthropic and social club.
Finally, in the builder category is the former Field Hockey Canada President, Judy McCrae. Judy was instrumental in guiding the amalgamation of the women’s and men’s associations to form Field Hockey Canada and was the leader in designing the women’s national team program which led to their outstanding performance in the 1980’s
TEAM CATEGORY
The 1983 Men’s National Team vaulted into the public eye with a historic Pan American Gold Medal to qualify directly for the 1984 Olympic Games. That 1983 team will be recognized as the third team to enter the Hall of Fame.
Sue Neill, Chair of the FHC Hall of Fame Committee said, “the contribution of the inductees into the Hall of Fame in 2020 provide a window into the history of field hockey in Canada in the 70’s and 80s. They are all outstanding leaders who changed and/or accelerated the development of field hockey in Canada. The Committee is proud to be able to name these individuals to the Hall of Fame.”
Individual recognition and a celebration (online or in-person as the circumstances allow) will be planned for later in the year. We hope the community will join us for a celebration of these amazing individuals and teams. Congratulations to all!
Class of 2020
Athletes Category
Jean Major Gourlay – Wednesday, August 18
David Bissett – Monday, August 30
Builder Category
Barb Hart Harris – Monday, August 16
Judy McCrae – Monday, August 23
Moira Colbourne – Friday, August 13
Peter Buckland – Friday, August 20
Coach Category
Shiaz Virjee – Wednesday, August 25
Shiv Jagday – Wednesday, August 11
Team Category
1983 Men’s National Team – Wednesday, September 1
*Celebration dates listed above
Media Inquiries:
Kevin Underhill – Communications Manager
kunderhill@fieldhockey.ca
General Inquiries:
Susan Ahrens – Chief Executive Officer
sahrens@fieldhockey.ca
