A former Vancouver Whitecap, Terry Felix of the Sts’ailes First Nation, was recently inducted into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame.
Felix joins more than 70 people in the NAIAHF’s class of 2024. Back in the 1970s, a Vancouver Whitecaps scout saw Felix play at the only soccer tournament where Indigenous players could play – in Chilliwack. He was signed to a youth team and in 1981, he signed his official professional contract for the Caps.
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Felix made his professional debut as the first Indigenous professional soccer player in North America on July 10, 1983, against the New York Cosmos. He went on to represent the Canada men’s national soccer team at the Olympic qualifiers, again becoming the first Indigenous player to do so. He scored two goals for Canada and led the team to victory in the qualifiers, moving on to a three-game series against Scotland. Felix suffered a career-ending knee injury during training just before the 1984 Olympics. Canada finished in fifth place, falling to Brazil in the quarter-finals.
Following his career as a player, Felix remained heavily involved in First Nations soccer, coaching for nearly 40 years. Felix also served on the Sts’ailes council for 14 years and has been counseling federal inmates for more than a decade.
Felix was inducted into the B.C. Hall of Fame for Aboriginal Sports Gallery in 2018. In 2020, he was inducted into the B.C. Soccer Hall of Fame and was awarded the Indspire Award Laureate for Sport title in 2022.
The NAIAHF honours and recognizes Indigenous athletes across the continent, hoping to inspire future generations to follow their dreams on and off the field.
– With files from Jessica Peters