Successful Alumni Weekend for UNB Soccer Programs

Successful Alumni Weekend for UNB Soccer Programs

Fredericton – This past weekend was a milestone Alumni Weekend for the UNB men’s and women’s soccer programs as they celebrated the rebranding of Chapman Field to the BMO Center – a partnership which was reached in the fall of 2010 when BMO Financial Group invested a significant amount to the University of New Brunswick and dedicated one million dollars to the soccer programs – as well as unveiling the first UNB Soccer Wall of Fame on Saturday afternoon.

All former men’s and women’s CIS All Canadians were named to the Wall of Fame and while some were unable to attend the ceremony nine All Canadians were present or were represented. Each inductee in attendance was presented with a special UNB Soccer medallion by UNB President Eddy Campbell, Vice President Academic Tony Secco and Director of Athletics John Richard. The medallion was specially created for the “Wall” members and is engraved with “Wall of Fame” on the back.

“We’re very pleased with the number of members that were able to travel and take part in the ceremony,” commented Miles Pinsent, head coach of the men’s program. “It’s a nice way of tying in the rich soccer history that UNB has with the new partnership with BMO - a perfect fit of tying in the past with the future.”

In addition to the All Canadians that were inducted, former coach Gary Brown is also a member of this select group. Brown was recognized as the 1980 CIS Coach of the Year - the same year that UNB won the CIS men’s soccer championship.

Members of the 1980 championship team that attended the alumni weekend were also recognized in this special ceremony. They were Tim Hicks, Pierre El-Khoury, John O’Brien, Peter Carpenter, Peter Spicer, Mike Foley and Robin Hopper.

Prior to the men’s game on Sunday Gary Brown presented the Gary Brown Family Scholarship to this year’s recipients Rod Ramsden. This scholarship was created by Brown’s former players on his retirement from UNB after 25 years of coaching with UNB men’s soccer.

Coach Pinsent thinks that alumni weekends are always a special time. “.... because all the former players that proudly wore the UNB uniform come into town and share their stories and share their history of our program with our current players. It’s always a special weekend for our program and I think that the fact that we brought back some of the legends of UNB soccer made it that more special.”

Inductees:

David Harding – 1979 & 1980
Robbie MacFarland – 1979
Larry Courvoisier – 1981 & 1982
Joe Turpin – 1981 & 1982
David Foley – 1985 & 1986
Andy Wilson – 1985
George Lucas – 1987 – in attendance
Stewart Galloway – 1989 – in attendance
Jamie Pollock – 1990
Gray Zurheide – 1993 – in attendance
Mike Green 1995 & 1996 – represented by his mother Marie Darling
Paul Noble – 1995 – in attendance
Lesley Hachey – 1995 & 1996 – in attendance
Karlene Bishop – 1997 – in attendance
John Fish – 2004 & 2005
Adam Pischiutta  2004 – in attendance
Ken Morrison 2007, 2008, 2009 – in attendance

 

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