Duncan-born, Shawnigan Lake School graduate ('75) Ian Hyde-Lay is being inducted into the BC Rugby Hall of Fame.
Now retired, Hyde-Lay was a player, coach, administrator and referee and as such, he'll enter the Hall in the Builder’s category.
As a player, Hyde-Lay had a strong connection to the region, to Vancouver Island, and beyond representing Shawnigan Lake School, Cowichan Rugby Club, Vancouver Island Tide, British Columbia and the Canadian National Team.
Once he hung up his spikes, he went on to coach for 39 years at St. Michael’s University School in Saanich as well as for periods at Castaway Wanderers RFC, Vancouver Island Tide, Canada U20 and Canada West over the course of his coaching career.
What's more, Hyde-Lay was a successful referee and officiated many matches at various school-aged and elite levels, and earned international officiating appointments on the World Rugby Sevens tour and the Rugby World Cup Sevens.
"Ian spent most of his life involved in rugby as a player, coach and referee, while finding time to play basketball for UVic and coach St. Michael's to a couple of B.C. championships," said longtime Cowichan Rugby Club member, Steve Cowie. "He grew up at Shawnigan Lake School where his dad, Derek, was a coach, teacher and later Head of School. Derek was one of the founders of the Cowichan Rugby Club and passed on to Ian his passion for rugby as well as his competitive drive, strong work ethic and sense of fair play."
Hyde-Lay is the fourth Cowichan Piggie to be inducted into the BC Rugby Hall of Fame. His father entered in 2007. The year before Peter Clarke (2006) was inducted and in 2009 it was Jim Ryan's turn.
"During his tenure with Cowichan RFC, Ian was the consummate tactician at fly-half," Cowie said. "He could control the game with his superb kicking and passing skills. He was also our goal kicker, winning many games with penalty kicks and drop goals which he could kick with either foot.
"As a leader on the team, Ian demanded a lot from the team in terms of commitment and hard work, but was always hardest on himself. I can remember seeing him sitting in the change room long after a game which we had won, going over the game in his head and analyzing what he could have done better. He was a great teammate and friend to all of us. Determined on the field, he also appreciated the Club culture, enjoying sing songs around the piano and pitching in to help whenever needed. Like his father before him, Ian was one of the foundation stones of the Club who helped develop a winning culture that eventually led to B.C. championships for both men and women’s teams."
Born in Terrace, B.C., fellow Shawnigan Lake School grad (1981), Eddie Evans is being inducted alongside Hyde-Lay. Evans owns a Thailand-based sportswear company called X-Treme Rugby Wear.
The Class of 2024 will be officially inducted into the BC Rugby Hall of Fame this coming fall. The Hall of Fame was established in 2005 to honour individuals and teams who, through their commitment to excellence, left a profound legacy on the development of Rugby in British Columbia. Since then, 49 individuals and two teams have been inducted.