Simon Fraser University Clan wrestling head coach Mike Jones was set to be inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame yesterday (Tuesday, after The Tri-City News' deadline).
A PoCo resident, Jones is entering his 35th season as head coach of the Clan wrestling program.
"It is an honour and this is great for our sport," said Jones. "Simon Fraser was the first to make coaching a professional profession and I am pleased to have been one of the first to have received such an opportunity. We have had some outstanding young people compete here over the years and we always have felt that we had a program that can take someone to great new heights.
"As a coach, you are always looking for new challenges and the move to the NCAA is exactly that for us now."
Jones started his coaching career at SFU in September 1976 and has overseen numerous Olympic medallists, including Daniel Igali and Carol Huynh who won gold in the 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics, respectively. Prior to last night's induction, Jones has been previously inducted into the Canadian Amateur Sports Hall of Fame, the NAIA Hall of Fame, the U.S. National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame.
