Inductees to be honoured at ceremony in April.
A powerhouse Burnaby lacrosse team is among those to be honoured as part of the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame’s 2025 class.
The 1996 to 2007 Burnaby Jr. Lakers Lacrosse team have been selected by the hall of fame to be inducted, as well as four individual athletes — mountain biker John Rideout, sprinter Doug Chapman, field hockey player Barb Hart Harris and basketball pioneer Ken Meehan.
Team – Burnaby Junior Lakers – 1996 to 2007
The Burnaby Lakers Jr. Lacrosse team was what many would consider a dynasty from 1996 to 2007.
The team won the Canada’s national junior lacrosse league title, the Minto Cup, in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2005.
They made appearances at the tournament in all 12 years.
The team were runners-up six times and third in 2006.
The Junior Lakers finished first in the BCJALL regular season standings 10 out of the 12 seasons and finished second in the remaining two.
During the 12 years, the team had a record of 159-26-1, a winning percentage of 90.9 per cent while going undefeated in 1998, 1999 and 2006.
They also outscored their opponents by more than 1,685 goals during their historic 12 year run.
Athlete – John Rideout
John Rideout’s 15-year-old son suggested his dad take up downhill mountain biking in 1992 and Rideout decided to give it a go.
When he started, he rode with fathers of sons who were mountain bikers and soon started taking part in provincial and local events while competitive racing captured his attention shortly after.
He would win his first world title in 2002, taking the 55+ category and his second two years later in the 55 to 59 age category.
In 2016, during the Val di Sole in northern Italy, he won his third world title by winning the 65+ race.
He would also finish in the top five at four other races.
Athlete – Doug Chapman
Burnaby Central Secondary student Doug Chapman captured attention on the track in 1969 when he won the 100-yard, 220-yard and 440-yard races along with the 4×220-yard relay team.
He won the 100-yard race in 9.9 seconds, breaking a 41-year-old high school record.
After high school, he went to the University of Oregon on scholarship and helped the Ducks win an NCAA title in 1970.
He represented Canada at several international races and finished fourth place with Canada’s 4×400 relay team at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 1970.
He also represented Canada in the 1971 Pan American Games in Colombia, 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich and the 1973 Pan Pacific Games.
Athlete/Builder/Coach – Barb Hart Harris
Hart Harris loved field hockey.
She was part of the Greater Vancouver Women’s Grass Hockey Association that represented Canada twice at the International Federation of Women’s Hockey Associations World Conference, which is equivalent of a women’s field hockey world cup.
She first represented Canada in Amsterdam in 1959 and 1963 in Baltimore.
Hart Harris became a teacher in the Burnaby School District where she turned her attention to coaching.
Her teams made playoff appearances regularly and two of her Burnaby South Secondary basketball teams went to provincial championships in 1961 and 1964.
She was named chair of the field hockey competition during the 1973 Canada Games held in New Westminster and Burnaby.
Hart Harris did a lot of her work alongside her former teammate and longtime friend Moira Colbourne, who was inducted into the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
They both earned induction into the builders category of the Canadian Field Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020.
Builder – Ken Meehan
Meehan first helped rebuild South Burnaby Metro Club’s soccer program during the 1990s.
Then, once he realized there was no organized youth basketball in Burnaby, he founded one at the South Burnaby Metro Club in 1996.
Once he formed a committee, he convinced NBA player and Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame member Lars Hansen to run the boys program while Norm Roberts agreed to run the girls program.
Meehan managed and operated the boys program on his own including registering players, organizing teams, planning game and practice schedules, coaching house league teams, budgeting and assembling volunteer coaches.
Throughout the years, the u!# elite teams have claimed 22 titles.
Local high schools have also benefited from the program.
St. Thomas More Collegiate has had numerous South Burnaby Metro Club players that have helped teams advanced to 3A provincial championships while Burnaby South has captured 4A provincial titles in 2018, 2020 and 2022.