The BC Sports Hall of Fame has revealed its star-studded lineup of 2024 inductees.
From baseball to golf to skiing, these newest inductees have a wide variety of past experiences that have brought them all together as the 2024 class.
One of the most recognizable names in the Athlete Category is former MLB first baseman Justin Morneau.
Morneau was born in New Westminster and went on to become one of the greatest Canadian baseball players in history.
His 14-year MLB career was highlighted by winning the 2006 American League MVP award, one of only three Canadians to do so.
The four-time all-star was the National League batting champion in 2014 and finished his career with 247 home runs and 985 RBIs.
Next up in the Athlete Category is Amanda Asay of Prince George.
Asay was one of Canada’s greatest female baseball players, leading her country to five medals at the Women’s Baseball World Cup.
In 2015, she led Team Canada to a historic silver medal at the Pan American Games.
In 2017, Baseball America ranked her seventh overall in the world among female baseball players, the only Canadian on the list.
Asay played on the national team for 17 years, from when she first turned 17 until her death in 2022.
Joining the two baseball players will be Ryan Cochrane, Canada’s most decorated male swimmer of all time.
Cochrane won Canada’s first men’s 1500m freestyle swimming medal in 88 years at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The bronze medal win was also Canada’s first Olympic swimming medal in eight years.
Cochrane would go on to become a regular face on the podium at international swimming competitions, retiring a year after the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Also in the Athlete Category is Cassie Sharpe for freestyle skiing.
Sharpe won Canada’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in women’s halfpipe freestyle skiing at the 2018 Olympics.
She then followed up that performance with a silver medal in the same event at the 2022 Olympics.
Sharpe has won numerous medals on the international stage, including five career medals in superpipe at the Winter X Games.
Closing out the list of athletes is legendary Canadian golfer, Richard Zokol.
Zokol won more than $2 million during his 22-year career, which included 412 PGA Tour event appearances.
The Kitimat, BC, native represented Canada on the international stage multiple times and was key in the development of several BC golf courses.
In the Builder-Coach Category Beverley Felske, Dr. Bob McCormack and Wayne Norton were named as inductees.
In the Team Category, the 1998 Langley Little League All-Stars Boys Baseball team was named along with the 1921-22 Vancouver Amazons Women’s Hockey Team in the Pioneer Category.
In the Media Category, longtime BC sports personality Don Taylor was named after keeping people up to date in the sports world for more than 40 years.
To close out the list, Glen Ringdal has been named the recipient of the WAC Bennett Award for his numerous achievements including more than 35 years working in sports management.
Ringdal increased ticket sales threefold when he served as the president of the BC Lions from 1997-2001.
A full bio of each inductee can be found online at this link.
