A lifelong fan, follower, and supporter of football at all levels and, in particular, the CFL, Tom carried his passion for the game over into the working world through setting up sponsorships and other programs designed to support the game.
In particular, his work with the BC Lions through both good times and other challenging years, through sponsorships was a rewarding experience and opened him up to other levels of football in the province. One of these was his association with High School Football through the “Footballs For High Schools” Program in partnership with the BC Lions Football Club.
Tom worked closely with management and staff at the Lions over the years in numerous sponsorship activities. This also translated into involvement with other CFL teams across Canada and, through his employer, resulted in multi-year sponsorships for the majority of CFL teams. During this time, he was also instrumental in introducing the CFL to his employer which resulted in a league wide major sponsorship which lasted a number of years.
Along with five other community business leaders, he was also a founding member of the Waterboys – a business/community support group for the BC Lions. This organization grew to over 500 local community leaders and was mimicked by other clubs across the CFL resulting in the “Founders” being awarded the CFL Commissioners Award in 2005.
He was one of the Vice Chairs for the 2005 Grey Cup and in 2009, after the untimely passing of Bob Ackles, was asked by the Board of Directors of the BC Football Hall of Fame to take over the CEO’s role and get the Hall finalized and up and running. 2019 marks the 10th year of the BC Football Hall of Fame with nine classes of inductees amounting to over 100 individuals and 10 teams being recognized for their contribution to football in the province of British Columbia.
Tom was inducted into the BC Lions Wall of Fame in 2023 as a Founder of the Waterboys, a dynamic group of British Columbia business leaders engaged in building the BC Lions Football Club’s brand and relationships in the corporate community.
