Inducted 2012

Christopher Facey - Athlete/Builder

St. John’s athlete/builder Christopher Facey may have been born with only one hand, but driven by his initiative, creativity, the support of his family and a home-made hockey prosthesis he played hockey as well as participated in all adolescent able-bodied sports. In 1968 Chris played hockey with the MUN Jr. Hockey Team and in 1969 he captained the team as it competed in the St. John’s Hockey League. In 1968 Chris played soccer with Feildians in the St. John’s Soccer League winning the St. John’s League and Provincial Junior Championships with an undefeated season and tied for the scoring lead in the provincial championship. From 1969 to 1971 Chris was a member of the MUN Soccer Team, which captured the Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association Soccer Championship. In 1970-1971 the team went undefeated in winning the Atlantic championship and in 1970 the team won the national championship when it represented the Atlantic region at the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union National Soccer Championships in Toronto. In 1976 Chris returned to competition at the national level when he competed in eight events at the Canadian Games for the Physically Disabled in Cambridge, Ontario and won seven gold medals and one silver medal. Later that year, Chris competed in the International Olympiad for the Physically Disabled in Toronto where he competed in six events and won a silver medal in Precision Javelin and a bronze medal in Discus. He competed in the 1977 games in Edmonton and won four gold medals in four events; the 1978 games in St. John’s he won five gold medals in five events; and the 1979 games in Hamilton, Ontario he won five gold medals in five events. In 1980 Chris participated in the International Olympiad for the Physically Disabled in Holland. He competed in five events and won a gold medal in Pentathlon and a silver medal in the 1500 metre run. At the Olympiad Chris was named Canada’s Most Improved Athlete. In 1998 Chris was inducted into the St. John’s Soccer Hall of Fame and in 1999 the MUN CIAU National Soccer Championship Team was presented with the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association’s Honour Roll of Teams Award. Chris also made tremendous contributions as a builder in sport. He served as coach and Chef de Mission for wheelchair sports teams going to national events from 1972 to 1975; he was a founding member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Wheelchair Sports Association and served as president for three years; he was a founding member of the HUB Physically Handicapped Centre and served on the executive for ten years. He has served on the executive of the Feildians Athletic Association for nearly 10 years, has been President of Feildian Athletic Grounds Association for the last 30 years and also served on the executive of the Canadian Amputee Sports Association for four years.