Brian DeBiasio to be inducted into Golf Hall of Fame of BC
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Former Granite Pointe golfer Brian DeBiasio was recently welcomed into the Golf Hall of Fame of BC.
DeBiasio, who was a former administrator in the Kootenay Lake School District at L.V. Rogers High School before retiring and moving to Vancouver Island, joins Craig Doell of Victoria, Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay and the late Ron Willey of Nanaimo at the induction ceremony dinner October 26 at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver.
DeBiasio is a member of the Pheasant Glen GC and former player at Redstone Resort GC in Rossland and Granite Point GC in Nelson.
DeBiasio spent much of his life in the Kootenays, and was a mainstay at numerous BC Amateur Golf tournaments held in the region — most notably the BC Men’s Championships at the Castlegar Golf Club.
However, most of his competitive tournaments were held in the Metro Vancouver area and Vancouver Island.
“Living in the Kootenays and trying to compete in the province, especially in the old days when everything was down on the coast or on the Island, I put on a lot of miles,” he said in a story published on the Pacific Northwest Golf Association website.
“For all the hard work that went into it and all of the support that I’ve had, this is a real nice reward.”
DeBiasio’s game blossomed as a mid-amateur player.
His biggest win came at the 1998 Canadian Mid-Amateur in Bathurst, N.B.
“My best results were through my 40s and early 50s,” said DeBiasio, who just turned 70.
“The big thing for me was I didn’t win a ton, but I was always right there. I was proud of my consistency and how I competed.”
In the Kootenays, golf is a six month sport, allowing DeBiasio to shine on the ice in the Western International Hockey League with, first, Trail Smoke Eaters and Spokane Flyers before moving to Nelson to spend seven seasons with the Senior Maple Leafs.
DeBiasio was the WIHL rookie of the year in the 1975-76 and the MVP in 1979-80 and holds the single season scoring record with 62 goals.
Willey, Stouffer, DeBiasio and Doell will become the 45th, 46th, 47th and 48th members of the Golf Hall of Fame of BC.
