StFX Sports Hall of Fame to welcome Burns McPherson & Diane Orsini

The StFX Sports Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony is taking place this Thursday evening, September 30th on the campus of StFX University. 

The StFX Department of Athletics is pleased to be inducting four athletes, one builder and one team into the 2010 induction class. The four athletes receiving entry include X-Men football players Burns McPherson (1970) and Don Dempsey (1985), X-Women basketball standout Diane Orsini (1971) and X-Men hockey forward David Purcell (1988). Being inducted into the builder category is former X-Men hockey coach Danny Flynn (1979) and entering in the team category is the 1986 AUS champion X-Women soccer team.

Each day this week, leading up to the Sports Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction ceremony, we will profile one or two of the inductees and highlight their accomplishments.

Burns MacPherson (1966-1970) Football.  Burns, an outstanding football player, enters the Hall of Fame as a former AUS Most Valuable Player and conference nominee for the Hec Creighton Award.  He was a member of the 1966 StFX football team that won the College Bowl championship (now the Vanier Cup). Dazzling in all his four years of play, Burns led the league in kickoffs and punting in his first two seasons, and in interceptions in his sophomore year. He was the leading returner in his junior year and broke the league kickoff record with an average of 54 yards per kick. A talented athlete, he played almost every minute of every game in his senior year in several offensive and defensive positions, leading the team in pass receiving, and punt and kickoff returns while also leading the conference in punting, kickoffs, and scoring.

Diane Orsini (1967-1971) Basketball. Diane, a tremendous basketball player, enters the Hall of Fame as a three-time team most valuable player, two-time team high scorer, and one-time league high scorer. Diane was a strong team leader and role model that led to her selection as captain of the X-Women basketball team for three consecutive years.  To acknowledge her outstanding four year outstanding athletic contribution to women’s basketball, Diane was the inaugural recipient of the StFX athletic ring (now StFX’s female athlete of the year award). 

The StFX Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1976 and exists to honor those individuals who have contributed significantly to StFX sports as athletes, teams or as builders. Those chosen inductees have exemplified the spirit and ideals of Xaverian athletics in their professional and community lives.

The induction portion of the evening this coming Thursday night will be webcast live courtesy of StFX Athletics and the Streaming Sports Network. Click on www.ssncanada.ca beginning at 8:00 pm AST to tune into the event.