One of Canada’s greatest baseball players and a highly respected physician are among the BC Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.
Baseball great, Justin Morneau, and orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Bob McCormack, both from New West, are among the five athletes, three builder-coaches, one team, one pioneer, one media member and the W.A.C. Bennett Award winner who are being inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame. They will be inducted at a gala ceremony in May 2024.
“After months of anticipation, we’re energized to begin telling the stories and marking the outstanding achievements of our Class of 2024,” said Tom Mayenknecht, chair of the BC Sports Hall of Fame. “Honouring the past – and inspiring the future – is at the very heart of the mission of the BC Sports Hall of Fame,and this year’s honourees truly exemplify the best of sport in this province and beyond. … We congratulate our deserving inductees and look forward to coming together again in person to fully honour the Class of 2024 at our BC Sports Hall of Fame induction gala next year.”
Morneau, who was born in New West and now lives in Medina, Minnesota, is being inducted in the player category. He honed his baseball skills as a youngster in his hometown.
“Considered among the greatest Canadian players ever to appear in Major League Baseball,” said a news release from the BC Sports Hall of Fame. “Fourteen-season MLB career (2003-16) playing 1,545 regular-season games at first base with the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago White Sox.”
During his career, Morneau accumulated 1,603 hits, 247 home runs, 985 runs batted in, and a .281 batting average. He was the winner of the 2006 American League MVP award, one of only three Canadians ever to win a Major League Baseball MVP award (Larry Walker and Joey Votto are the others).
Morneau was also a two-time winner of the American League Silver Slugger award (2006, 2008) as the top offensive first baseman in the league. He was a four-time American League All-Star (2007-10), the 2014 National League batting champion with a .319 average, and a three-time winner of the James ‘Tip’ O’Neill Award as Canada’s top baseball player.
Morneau was previously inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 2008, the City of New Westminster renamed one of the ball diamond in Moody Park as the Justin Morneau.
McCormack, who was born in Ottawa and lives in New Westminster, is one of three builders-coached being inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
“Hugely influential in Canadian sports medicine over the past 25 years as an orthopedic surgeon specializing in athletic injuries,” said the BC Sports Hall of Fame news release. “Worked with dozens of organizations and teams at the varsity, provincial, national, international, and professional levels.”
McCormack has served as the Canadian Olympic Committee’s chief medical officer at six Olympics, as well as team orthopedic surgeon, assistant chief medical officer, and a member of the Canadian Olympic medical team, covering nearly every Winter and Summer Olympics from 2000 to 2020 – 10 Olympics in total.
McCormack also served as Canada’s chief medical officer or team doctor at the Pan American Games, Commonwealth Games, and World University Games. In 2021, he was appointed as the Canadian Football League’s chief medical office.
McCormack has also been active in various roles internationally in anti-doping, including being a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency List Experts Group and National Olympic Committee liaison.
Since 1966, the BC Sports Hall of Fame has inducted 452 individuals and 69 teams to its Hall of Champions, ensuring their legacies will continue to inspire future generations.
