Spectrum’s sports teams, rare for a high school, did not have a nickname from the school’s opening in 1975 until Thunder was adopted two years ago in a student vote. But that doesn’t mean the Saanich school hasn’t had game over the years, nickname or not. It did. As did its direct-lineage predecessor, the former Mount View Secondary, whose teams were known as the Hornets.
The Spectrum/Mount View Sports Hall of Fame has opened, joining similar high school sports halls of fame at Oak Bay and Claremont.
The inaugural 20-member Spectrum/Mount View Class is as starry as any and has been to the Olympics, both Summer and Winter, and won Super Bowls and Grey Cups.
Spectrum/Mount View became known as a kicking factory. Eddie Murray went from soccer at the school to 22nd all-time in NFL scoring and a Super Bowl ring with the Dallas Cowboys as placekicker. Dave Cutler was a rugby star at Mount View and became placekicker of the Edmonton Eskimos dynasty, which won six Grey Cups. He is eighth all-time in CFL scoring.
Bob Bolitho won three Colonist Cups and a B.C. championship at Mount View in soccer and went on to represent Canada in the 1976 Montreal Olympics and earn 34 caps in three World Cup qualifying campaigns between 1974 and 1982 with also a 10-season pro career in the NASL.
Clark Davis was a three-time Olympian in wrestling, placing fourth at Los Angeles in 1984, and two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist. Mike Piechnik became one of the greatest softball pitchers in history and won two Pan Am Games gold medals with Canada. Jan Crook took her field-hockey prowess from school to stardom at UVic and captainship of the Canadian national team.
Golfer Gordy Scutt became Pac-10 second-team all-star with the University of Washington Huskies before a pro career. Cheryl Noble was an all-rounder in basketball, volleyball, soccer and field hockey at Mount View and won a world championship in curling and bronze medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
Chris Prat won Colonist Cup soccer and Howard Russell Cup rugby titles at Spectrum before playing NCAA lacrosse at Rutgers and winning two Mann Cup national championships with the Victoria Shamrocks. Kevin Alexander graduated from Mount View to become one of the greatest players to don a lacrosse jersey.
“This induction celebrates both schools’ rich history in athletics while also acknowledging our community and place,” Spectrum principal Bruce Bidney said in a statement.
Also in the charter class are Nico Craveiro, who went from Spectrum success in soccer to all-Canadian at UVic, and Tyler Hughes the same to the NCAA and all-conference at Coastal Carolina and pro soccer. Volleyball is represented by Monika Moar, who led Spectrum to its first two B.C. titles in any sport in 1978 and 1979, and national team player Shanice Marcelle.
Dominating six-foot-six forward Christine Rigby led Spectrum to the B.C. 1995 girls’ basketball title and won an NCAA championship with powerhouse UConn. Point-guard Lindsay Brooke, diminutive in size but not in heart, went to two B.C. championship games with Spectrum, winning once, before helming the UVic backcourt for five seasons and winning two national championships with the Vikes.
Donna Blackstock and Grant Boland, sports stars in their own right at Vic High and Oak Bay, respectively, go into the Spectrum hall for their coaching achievements at the school. Also entering the charter Class as coaches are Dave Dew and 30-year multi-sport mentor Jim McConnan.
“This Hall of Fame has been a few years in the planning. Spectrum and Mount View combined have had a long history of athletic success, but our committee did not think there had been enough done to celebrate this success,” said Spectrum teacher and athletic director Dom Butcher.
“It’s a diverse inaugural class. I think people will be surprised to see some of these athletes attended Spectrum or Mount View and the wide range of sports these athletes represent. We want to celebrate the past and inspire future excellence.”
Descriptive plaques and photos of each inductee are now hanging on the entrance wall to the school gymnasium. The charter class will be honoured in an induction ceremony post-pandemic.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
