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50 — Wednesday, May 7,

—

seoneceeseeeronsesounes: o

HE’S been retired from
football for 11 seasons,
but 1997 is the year for-
mer B.C. Lions centre
Al Wilson has hit the
honors jackpot. A dou-

bicheader so to speak.
Last night he was inducted
into the B.C. Sports Hall of
Fame. In mid-September he
flies to Hamilton for his for-
mal entry into the Canadian
“ootball Hall of Fame. The
only question your agent has is
this: what took them so long?
saa After all, the kid from
Duncan, now a longtime
North Van resident, made all-
Western seven times, all-
Canadian sever times, was the
West's Schenley Awards nomi-
Nee as outstanding lineman
, sone EE times and won it in
am 1977, All this during his
decade and a halfin the
Canadian Foorball League
with a team that spent a fot of
time in the playoff wilderness.
Eventually he got to ples in
nvo Grey Cup finals: an 18-17
loss to Toronto at B.C Place
in 1983 and a 37-24 win over
Hamilton at Montreal's Big
Owe in 1985. However, per-
haps most pleasing to him is
the unofficial accolade
~bestowed by his first coach in
pro football, Eagle Keys.
“You're one of the three
best centres ever to play in

1997 — North Shore News

Canada, along with Ted
Urmess,” Keys once told him.
Thankyou, Eagle, that’s very
nice. But who’s the third.
“Me,” he replied. The taciturn
tutor from Turkey Neck Bend,
Kentucky, was never wordy.
But always definite.

High schooi football didn’t
come to the Cowichan Valley
until Al was 17. Had it hap-
pened a year Jater he’d have
graduated without having had
the opportunity to make the
switch from rugby. When his

AL Whison... Nerth Van
vesident inducted into
8.C. Sports Hall of Fame.

school was allowed to send
one — just one -- team
member to che Lions’ devel-
opment camp for nigh school
prospects, he was the one cho-
sen by his coach, Yom Yanao.

“Nor that | was that
good,” he remembers. “But
Tom thought [was the one
with the most potential.” One
of the guest coaches at the
development camp was Frank
Smith, Remember hin?
Coached at Sentinel High in
West Van, then later ac URC.
Ta beiween ~ ansd ac thar time
— ke was che backtield coach
at Montana State

THE Capilanos’ first. division rugby squad
enjoyed its best season ever by winning the Miller
Cup this year. At left are club members Matt
Shaughnessy (front to back), Guilio Decotis,
Gary Yuen, Mel Browning and Grant Phillips. After
capturing the leaque championship the Caps
were stung 13-11 by the Burnaby Lakers in the
B.C. Provincial semi-finals.

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EE SPEECH.

It’s fundamental but it’s not FREE. The provincial government
is eroding your rights of FREE expression and the rights of

Frank liked what he saw
and and reervited him.
Attached to his footbail schol-
arship was the notation: “great
hustle, but lousy technique.’
Four years later he had lots of
technique as a running guard
at a Gme when CFL teams
could exercise a regional
choice in the college draft.

Thus, to his great satisfac-
tion, the Lions had first crack
and took him. In need of a
backup centre for starter Willie
Poster, Keys taught him his
new job. Postler was injured in
mid-season, Wilson took his
place and, as is usually said,
the rest is history.

At 47, he remains fit, still
looks to be about his playing
weight (258 pounds on a six-
two frame) and is doing well
in Internet sales and the
deregulated leng distance
phone business. And he’s onc
of more than 100 Lions alum-
ni out in the community,
pushing ticket sales, working
to keep the endangered fran-
chise alive.

He has nis athletic daugh-
ters and an athietic son.
That’s only natural. Their
mother, Robin, was big in
championshin curling not so
long ago. Chelsea, 17, is 3
show jumper, aiming for the
Olympics. Alana, 14, alse rides
but is hooked mostly on soc-
cer. Colby is 13 and, of
course, plays football. AP savs
he has never coached him,
hever pressured him. His
coaches had him playing cen-
tre twa vears before they knew
who his father was,

When they tound out, they
put 2 on his back, the old
man's sweater number.
“How's that for pressure?”
asks Al,

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