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The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame is thrilled to announce our Class of 2023. The inductees are:
Andrew Buckley – football athlete
Andrew is a Calgary born football legend. Going from a high school star quarterback to a University of Calgary Dinos champion to a decorated Calgary Stampeder. Buckley won 3 Canada West championships with the Dinos and set numerous team records. Drafted 62nd overall by the Calgary Stampeders in 2015, Andrew played in the 2016 and 2017 Gray Cups with the team before announcing his retirement from professional football in 2018.
Mike Johnson – Baseball Athlete
Born and raised in the Edmonton area, Mike has been involved in baseball for most of his life. He played his amateur baseball at Sherwood Park and provincially with Team Alberta before being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993. His professional career spanned 17 years and included 5 seasons in MLB with the Baltimore Orioles and Montreal Expos, and stops overseas in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. He was a prominent member of Team Canada at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and won a gold medal at the Pan American Games in 2011. Upon retirement, he returned to coaching locally in the Edmonton area, to Team Alberta and the Canadian Junior National Team.
Helen Upperton – Bobsled Athlete
Helen is a dedicated and influential force in the sport of bobsleigh in Canada helping to elevate the women’s program to the status of an international powerhouse. During his 11-year career as a bobsleigh pilot, his team broke numerous international start and track records en route to winning more than 25 World Cup medals, including the first-ever gold medal in the Canada at the Women’s Bobsleigh World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland. After a fence 4e at the 2006 Olympics, Helen led her team to an Olympic silver medal at Vancouver 2010. She retired from competition after the 2012 season, but continues to be involved as a coach, mentor and facilitator award-winning.
Cara Currie Hall – Multisport Builder
Cara is one of the foremost advocates, leaders and builders of Indigenous sports in Canada. She has dedicated her life to the recognition and advancement of Aboriginal sports provincially, nationally and internationally. She was a founding board member of the Indigenous Sport Council of Alberta, World Indigenous National Sports International, Aboriginal Sport Circle, and Alberta Sports Recreation Park & Wildlife Board. She served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport. Cara was instrumental in founding the North American Ingenious Games and was the founder of the National School of Aboriginal Coaching. Her years of advocacy work on behalf of Indigenous athletes have had a positive impact on the future of sport.
Allan Ferchuk – Multisport Builder
Allan Ferchuk has dedicated more than 50 years of his life to sport in Alberta, emphasizing its positive results in community development and post-secondary education. Ferchuk has coached men’s and women’s hockey at many levels, winning men’s national gold in 1977, 79 and 80. He has held several volunteer leadership positions, including president of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference and of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association and president of Hockey Development Canada. Allan was instrumental in introducing women’s hockey and soccer to Alberta colleges. He has dedicated his time to many community endeavors, including serving as Director of the Board of Directors for the 2019 Canada Winter Games and Chairman of the Games’ leading legacy, Central Sport.
Greg Peterson – Football Builder
Greg Peterson truly embodies the sport of football. He was born and raised in Calgary and has spent his entire minor football career playing in the Calgary minor football system. After his college football career at Brigham Young University, he was drafted by the Calgary Stampeders and spent his entire nine years as a player with the Stampeders. In 1990 he was a Canadian CFL All Star and in 1992 he was a Gray Cup champion. Upon retirement, he spent over 30 years coaching and managing amateur football in Calgary. He was one of the initiators and driving forces behind the multi-million dollar construction of the three artificial turf pitches, stands, locker rooms and amenities at Shouldice Athletic Park. He and Tony Spoletini were also the initiators and forces behind the construction of the inner dome at Shouldice Athletic Park. To complement his sports career, he has been a commentator and color analyst on the Calgary Stampeder radio show for the past 26 years.
Lauralyn Radford – Multisport Creator
Originally from Red Deer, Lyn Radford has made a name for herself in the sports community. She has dedicated her life to bringing world-class sporting events to her community and rallying those around her into action to make these events a success. Events for which she is responsible include the 2004 and 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the 2006 Alberta Summer Games, the inaugural 2013 Tour of Alberta cycling race and the Canada 2019. She was a board member of Speed Skating Canada and currently sits on the board of directors of the Canada Game Council.
1991-1994 Olds Grizzlys – Hockey Team
The Taber Golden Suns moved to Olds and became the Grizzlys for the 1981-82 season and into their 10e season at Olds, they won their first AJHL championship. The first of 3 AJHL championships in a row! The Olds Grizzlys remain one of only 2 teams to have won the AJHL championship 3 years in a row, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94. Trained and managed by Bob Clark, Chris Stewart and Cliff Murphy for all 3 championships.
Wilf Brooks – Achievement Award
One of Wilf’s greatest assets in the community has been using sports as a way to help others achieve their goals. Wilf has a passion for identifying community strengths and resources and harnessing them for the benefit of others. Often navigating from his position in the local business community, Wilf has poured his energy, knowledge and enthusiasm into countless initiatives over the past 60 years. From one-time pilot projects to enduring organizations, he is proud to have served in the following areas: helping to found Sport Central, partnering in the creation of Calling Lake Hockey program and development, and supporting countless initiatives. with Hockey Alberta, share leadership of the ‘Rink of Dreams’ project. Much of his learning came from time spent, concentrated in Calling Lake and other remote communities.
Mark Stephen-Bell Memorial Award
Mark Stephen’s voice is known to many as one of the voices of the Calgary Stampeders. Since 1996, Stephen has played Calgary Stampeders games with former Stampeder Greg Peterson to form the longest-serving broadcast tandem in CFL history. Mark was also the national broadcaster for four Gray Cup games. He also broadcast the Calgary Roughnecks for Shaw TV, played per game for the Calgary Cannons of Triple-A baseball and the Calgary Wranglers of the Western Hockey League as well as various Calgary City High School games. Athletic Association.
Dr. Marcus Dunsworth Award – Pioneer
Marcus Dunsworth was an incredible multi-sport athlete. He was a 14-time Edmonton City Champion in tennis and handball. 14 times provincial champion in tennis, football, basketball and athletics. Dunsworth was a two-time Western Canadian tennis champion, two-time Western Canadian basketball champion and a two-time Gray Cup finalist. To have accomplished all of this between 1918 and 1938 when travel and financial support for sports were difficult only highlights his athletic abilities.
